Carlos Alcaraz’s coaching box will look a little bit different at the 2024 Australian Open. Absent will be coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, who is unable to make the trip Down Under after recently undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
Samuel Lopez will be Alcaraz’s acting coach for the first Grand Slam of the 2024 campaign. Lopez has been working with Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, who is sidelined by a longterm injury.
Preparation for the Aussie Open and for the upcoming season general is well underway for Alcaraz, who missed the Melbourne major this past year due to a hamstring problem. The 20-year-old recently trained with Jannik Sinner at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante, Spain.
Alcaraz has played the Australian Open just twice, falling to Mikael Ymer in round two as a qualifier in 2021 before bowing out at the hands of Matteo Berrettini in round three of the 2022 edition. The world No. 2 is, of course, a top title contender this time around and heads into the tournament as a two-time slam champ, having triumphed at the 2022 U.S. Open and at Wimbledon this past summer.
Sinner advanced to his first major semi at the All-England Club in 2023, when he succumbed to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. The world No. 4 projects to be a top-four seed at the Aussie Open after concluding this season in amazing form–highlighted by Italy’s Davis Cup title and a runner-up performance at the Nitto ATP Finals (lost to Djokovic after upsetting the world No. 1 during round-robin competition).
Both Alcaraz and Sinner will begin their 2024 campaigns at Melbourne Park. They are not signed up for preceding tournaments in Hong Kong, Brisbane, Auckland, or Adelaide.
Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.
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