Carlos Alcaraz
was in Buenos Aires in 2023 and took away great memories.
Because after the doubts of his debut at the
Argentina Open
against the Serbian Laslo Djere, he found that overwhelming pace that he is used to and won the seventh title of his career, but also because he discovered a city that allowed him
to clear his head of tennis with activities outside of the routine
of the matches, training, work with his physio, press conferences and other issues.
Among those activities was soccer, one of his great passions and that of a large part of Argentines.
The current Wimbledon champion, a renowned
Real Madrid fan,
received an invitation to visit the
Bombonera
and he accepted it with pleasure.
He was first in the stadium without an audience and this Wednesday
he surprised by appearing in a box to cheer on Boca against Central Córdoba in Santiago del Estero
and watch Xeneize's second victory for the League Cup live.
And he was seen singing songs of the fans.
Carlos Alcaraz singing to the rhythm of the Boca fans 💙💛pic.twitter.com/hFOlXd35Vv
— Tennis Time (@Tiempodetenis1) February 15, 2024
"Last year I came because I didn't have any matches, I hadn't competed for a while and I needed to play. I loved the tournament, the people are wonderful and what I experienced was incredible for me.
I wanted to return this year because the vibes and energy that is experienced in Buenos Aires they are very special,"
explained the Spaniard in the first contact he had with the media after stepping on the
Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis again.
After playing officially for the last time on January 24, when he lost in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open against Alexander Zverev, and then traveling to Spain for business commitments, Alcaraz landed in Argentina on Saturday and a van took him to the
Sheraton
hotel in Retiro to stay in the same room where
Luis Miguel
stays when he has shows scheduled in the city.
He arrived with his coach
Juan Carlos Ferrero,
his father, his older brother and
Evaristo Sanguinetti,
the same bodyguard who accompanied him last year and who, for example, was the Rolling Stone's custodian during their time in Argentina.
His physical trainer Alberto Lledó
and a physiotherapist
also joined the trip .
Carlitos will not return to Europe until he finishes his participation in the Miami Masters 1000 at the end of March, given that he will compete for the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro next week and then he will compete in
“The Netflix Slam”,
an exhibition with Rafael Nadal in Las Vegas, before playing in Indian Wells and Miami.
What time does Carlos Alcaraz play at the Argentina Open?
After a necessary rest, and when he still did not know that Camilo Ugo Carabelli was going to be his first rival in the Buenos Aires ATP, he began preparing for his debut.
He had his first training session on Sunday evening on one of the Lawn Tennis auxiliary courts and on Monday he practiced for an hour and a half with the British
Cameron Norrie
, his "victim" in last year's final.
That same day was the 44th birthday of Ferrero, coach of Alcaraz and champion in Buenos Aires in 2010. And the team was not going to be left wanting to celebrate.
They went out for sushi dinner, although only on Tuesday were they able to taste the culinary delight of Argentina that the number two in the world was not going to want to miss.
They visited “Don Julio”, a renowned grill located in Palermo.
The roast could not be missed.
Alcaraz will begin the defense of the title against Ugo Carabelli.
Photo: Maxi Failla / Clarín.
Now the youngest number one in history is expected to think about tennis and nothing but tennis.
This Thursday
he will make his debut against Camilo Ugo Carabelli starting at 6:30 p.m.,
his first step in seeking to defend the title and get his first trophy of the season.
He will go out to the Guillermo Vilas stadium knowing his rival in a hypothetical quarterfinal: Andrea Vavassori or Laslo Djere (playing at 1:30 p.m.).
But that will be another story.