‘I still can’t believe it’ – Epic Wimbledon win not yet sunk in for Carlos Alcaraz after victory over Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz admits his incredible Wimbledon triumph still hasn’t sunk in ahead of the National Bank Open in Toronto.

It was the second Grand Slam of Alcaraz’s career following his 2022 US Open victory, and at just 20 years old, it’s little wonder the magnitude of what he has already achieved is difficult to comprehend.

“I have the trophy in my living room over there [so] that every time that I have lunch, have dinner with my family, I see the trophy,” Alcaraz said.

“It’s something that I [don’t want] to forget.

“Honestly, for me, winning Wimbledon at 20 years old is something that I dreamed about when I started playing tennis. It was my fourth tournament on grass, so it was totally unexpected.

“I know that everything came so fast. Great tournaments, two Grand Slams, and I’m just 20 years old. I know that I’m so young.

“It’s something that I worked to be in this position to fight for great things. But you never realise until you’ve done it.

“There [are] some times that I think about the last point of the US Open, the last point of Wimbledon and other great tournaments that I won and I still can’t believe it and still get goosebumps, so it’s crazy.”

To put his meteoric rise into perspective, Alcaraz returns to Canada for the National Bank Open, which was the scene of his ATP Tour 1000 debut a year ago.

And now that he feels like a “totally different” player, he’s out to improve on the first-round exit he suffered in Montreal in 2022.

“I remember that I [did] not [have] a good run last year in Canada. I came this year to change it, hopefully to have a good run, better than last year,” he added.

“But one year later, I think I learned a lot from that situation on how to deal with the pressure, how to deal [with] everything.

“I have been playing in great stadiums in great rounds and I’m fighting for great things. I think that helped me a lot to grow up as a player, as a person, and I think one year later, I’m totally different.”