Carlos Alcaraz has revealed the unlikely secret behind his back-to-back Wimbledon triumphs – cutting loose in Ibiza.
In the new Netflix documentary “Carlos Alcaraz: My Way,” the Spanish tennis star opens up about defying his team’s advice and heading to the party island to blow off steam after a crushing loss to Novak Djokovic in the 2023 French Open semifinals.
“I had a friend with a few days off, going to Ibiza with other friends,” Alcaraz said. “I ended up going. They knew exactly what I was going there for. In Ibiza, I’m not going to lie – it’s all about partying and going out.”
“I basically went there to reventar – to let loose, to explode,” added the now four-time Grand Slam champion.
It wasn’t the typical road to Wimbledon glory – and his agent, Albert Molina, advised against it – but for Alcaraz, it was exactly what he needed to reset and come back stronger.
Ibiza’s tonic paid off spectacularly, too. Just a few weeks later, at age 20, he defeated the Serbian star in the Wimbledon final.
“I tried to explain to him that it might not be the best idea to go to Ibiza for three or four days on vacation when he had Queen’s the following week and then Wimbledon,” Molina said.
Alcaraz repeated the trick in 2024, taking another Ibiza trip before the grass-court season. His fitness coach, Juanjo Moreno, accused him of being selfish.
In the documentary, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero even questions whether Alcaraz has the dedication required to emulate the likes of Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“He has a different way of understanding work and sacrifice,” Ferrero said. “It’s so different that it makes me question whether he can really be the best in history.”
But Alcaraz has no regrets.
“They always want to protect me, but I’m getting older. I’m starting to make my own decisions, and that’s what I want,” he said. “I don’t take care of myself as much. I spend a lot of days enjoying life – maybe more than I should.
“But I want to do it my way.”
Alcaraz, who turns 22 next month, is the No. 2 seed at this week’s Madrid Masters.