“I hate to lose, that's my motivation”

Carlos Alcaraz later arrived at the press conference, having to stop for brief remarks and many congratulations for what he achieved at the Australian Open 2026. To win his 7th major title and complete his career Grand Slam at a record age of only 22 years and 272 days.

And the first question exactly referred to this historical achievement. “To complete the career Grand Slam was on my mind. Every time I come here to Australia, I've just done the pre-season just thinking about this tournament, trying to work as hard as I can and be as prepared as possible to play this tournament and try to get the trophy“, elaborated the Spaniard.

“In previous years I didn't leave here, you know, in a good way, but I'm very happy that I'm pushing myself to be better and I finally did it this year,” he added.

Carlos Alcaraz, towards the calendar Grand Slam?

The next target could be the calendar Grand Slam, something men's tennis hasn't achieved since Rod Laver in the 60s. Carlos admits that it will be “a big challenge. Those are big words, to be honest. I just want it to be one by one. Next up is the French Open. I have fond memories of that tournament. I feel really special every time I go there“, he elaborated.

“I don't want to put myself in a position of real pressure that I have to do this, but it would be great. I will try to be ready, work hard, recover and train well to play a good tournament in the next Grand Slam,” assured Alcaraz.

The beginning of the final was not favorable for him, on the contrary. The first set was won 6-2 by Novak Djokovic, playing very well, to break even. Carlos says tennis can change “with only one point. One point, one feel, one shot can completely change the whole match“.

He thinks Djokovic played great in the first set, although he didn't play badly either. However, he faced an “inspired, who executed extraordinary shots” opponent.

Then, in the second set, there were easy mistakes from Nole, “which he didn't have in the first set, so it gave me a lot of composure, confidence that the match could change a little bit if I stayed there mentally strong or mentally positive, trying to be solid, change a little bit tactically what didn't work in the first set“.

That did and helped him get back into the match, feel more comfortable and calmer.

Carlos Alcaraz: “A lot of people were talking about everything and had doubts”

It's the seventh major trophy of his career, how does it compare to the previous ones? Carlos did not shy away from bringing up the “earthquake” of the end of 2025, the separation of Juan Carlos Ferrerobut without naming it concretely. But he described his own experiences that preceded the Australian Open.

How Alcaraz celebrated and how Djokovic reacted after the Australian Open 2026 final / PHOTO: GettyImages

“It was a different preseason for me, so I had to come back from an unusual situation for me, which was difficult. A lot of people were talking about everything and had doubts about my level in this tournament.

Every year when I came here to Australia, I thought about getting the trophy. It couldn't happen. We couldn't go further than the quarter-finals. This year, hungry for more, ambitious to get the trophy and mentally strong enough not to hear anything around me. And then to play good tennis in this tournament means a lot, it means everything to me and it's a dream come true“, he summarized what he experienced in the recent period, but also in Melbourne.

What Novak is doing is inspirational. It is a source of inspiration for all athletes. It's incredible what he does. If he maintains this level throughout the season, he will do important things. Probably Masters 1000 again. He will reach a Grand Slam final again. It depends on how physical he is or how physically demanding the circuit is for him, but I think he's ready to keep winning the big tournaments – Carlos Alcaraz

Being the first Grand Slam title he won without Juan Carlos Ferrero, was he extra motivated in a way to prove himself perhaps in the absence of his mentor since his teenage years?

“Not really, to be honest. I didn't think about those people who had doubts about it. I came here just playing for myself, playing for my team. We all know how hard I worked in the preseason to get ready for this tournament, and I had too much to think about during this tournament. I just focus on my style of play, myself, with passion, and that's all I thought about during this tournamenthe said.

Carlos Alcaraz and the desire to complete the gaps in the records

Could he set his sights on filling the gaps in his record, such as missing Masters 1000s or ATP Finals? And if so, what drives it?

“Well, I hate to losehe replied with a smile.That's my motivation. I try to lose as little as possible. Yes, there are some tournaments that I really wanted to win at least once. A few Masters 1000s. Tournament of Champions and Davis Cup. I wanted to do this for my country, for Spain. I have set other goals for this season and I will try to be ready or try to achieve them“, he pointed out.

In the end, it was about the new tattoo, a ritual he started with his first Grand Slam triumph. “I said it's going to be a kangaroo, for sure, a little kangaroo. I don't know where it's going to be. It's going to be on the leg, for sure. I don't know if it's right or left. So I have to pick a good spot, but it's definitely going to be near the French Open or Wimbledon. I just have to pick,” he concluded.