PARIS –It was December 2021. Carlos Alcaraz was already a tennis genius, even if not many people had realized it quite yet.
He and I were sitting in a conference room at the academy where he trains in Villena, Spain and talking about one of the trophies in the showcase.
It was the smaller replica of the Coupe des Mousquetaires. the French Open men’s singles trophy, that his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero had won in 2003. They don’t allow champions to take home the original.
“They should have given him the big one,” Alcaraz said with a laugh. “It’s obviously an inspiration. I hope one day I can match it or go past it.”