Alcaraz: Many have doubted my form, but I am determined to block out all distractions.

On February 1st local time, the 22-year-old Spanish star defeated Djokovic in a four-set battle in the Australian Open final, becoming the youngest male player to complete a career Grand Slam, having previously only reached the quarterfinals at this tournament.

After the match, Alcaraz looked back on the goal that drove his intense winter training. "This feeling is amazing. Achieving a career Grand Slam has always been my aim," he said. "Every winter training period, I prepare with this tournament as my target, training as hard as possible and getting ready to lift this trophy. My past performances here were not great, but I’m glad I pushed myself to improve continuously, and this year I finally succeeded."

In December last year, Alcaraz parted ways with coach Ferrero, who had worked with him for seven years, a change that sparked much speculation, but Alcaraz is determined to ignore all the noise.

"This year's preparation phase was truly unusual, and I had to adapt to this strange situation, which was not easy," Alcaraz admitted. "Many people were talking and doubting my condition for this tournament. Every year I come to Australia dreaming of winning, but I never got past the quarterfinals. This year, I had a stronger desire and was determined to claim the title, and to be mentally strong enough not to care about any outside voices. Playing such high-quality tennis here means a lot to me—it’s a dream come true."

Regarding his performance in the final against Novak Djokovic, who has won the Australian Open ten times, Alcaraz didn’t panic after losing the first set 2-6 and eventually came back to win in four sets. Reviewing the match, Alcaraz said: "He played exceptionally well in the first set. Actually, my shots and movement were good, but Novak was in top form. In the second set’s opening game, he made some errors he hadn’t in the first set, which helped me calm down. I believed that if I stayed focused, the match could shift. I tried to maintain consistent play and adjusted my tactics... I think this helped me get back into the rhythm and stay composed during rallies."

Alcaraz also praised Djokovic generously: "Everything he does inspires all athletes, not just in tennis but across sports, including myself. He gave everything to reach another Grand Slam final and responded brilliantly to those who doubted he could make it or beat players like Jannik (Sinner) and me. It’s simply incredible."

After completing the career Grand Slam, can Alcaraz achieve a calendar-year Grand Slam? "That will be a huge challenge," he answered cautiously. "I just want to focus on my next goal, Roland Garros. It holds great memories for me, and every time I step on clay, it feels special. However, I don’t want to pressure myself too much to win there."

(Translated by: Wang Fei)