Original subtitles

[peaceful music playing]

You're the best.

-Thanks. -Thank you. Thank you, guys.

[fan] Have fun tonight!

-Thanks! -[fan] Bye!

[Carlos] I've been on the professional circuit

for four years now,

and, during that time, I have achieved a few goals.

LONDON JUNE 2024

Winning Wimbledon in 2023 was a dream.

This year, I'm here with the same passion and excitement,

and I hope to experience what I felt in 2023.

-Hi, it's so good to see you. -Great to see you.

-Fantastic. You're okay? -Yeah.

[woman] Go on. Have a look at yourself.

Have you got a beard there? Have you got more of a beard?

Yeah, I should have shaved it, and a lot of people told me that.

It was kind of lucky for me.

-Lucky for you. Exactly. -Yeah.

[Molina] Let's get this one again, okay, Carlitos?

[Carlos] Let's get it again, dude. The golden one.

EVERY YEAR, WIMBLEDON WINNERS RETURN THE TROPHY TO THE CLUB'S DISPLAY CASES

[wondrous music playing]

I think Wimbledon is one of the most elegant tournaments in the world,

if not the most elegant one,

be it for its prestige or its rules.

You can't step onto the court unless you're dressed in all white.

I was wearing color briefs, and you could see them through my shorts,

and they called me out on them, saying, "Next time, we won't let you play."

I mean, this really goes to show you just how strict they can be.

A Wimbledon tournament is sort of the one that you dream of getting to.

I mean, all the players wanna be part of that.

[Muguruza] Nothing is more luxurious, elegant, and historic

than being part of that tournament.

For me, Wimbledon was absolute bliss.

[Navrátilová] Wimbledon is the only one now on grass.

You really feel the history here more than any other tournament.

[Carlos] Wimbledon has always been home to legends.

Then the Big Three came along and redefined the world of tennis.

I would love to sit at the same table as the Big Three when it comes to titles.

My goal is to become the greatest tennis player in history.

CARLOS ALCARAZ MY WAY

[soft orchestral music playing]

Look. It's beautiful. Look how great the courts are.

Everything is so well-kept here. It's truly stunning.

Some of the greatest players have won this tournament.

Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic,

I would have to say, have won practically 80 or 90%

of the Wimbledon titles over the years.

Of course, I only care about the 2023 title,

the year Carlos won the final,

and honestly, it was a historic victory for Carlos.

-[commentator 1] Yes! -[commentator 2] He did it!

-He really did it! It's amazing. -[commentator 1] A great player.

He's 20 years old. Carlos Alcaraz.

The joy of winning Wimbledon,

reserved for only a handful of privileged players, for geniuses.

[Carlos's father] I'm currently living out my dream through Carlos.

I grew up in a modest neighborhood of hardworking people.

I was passionate about tennis.

I wanted to be a professional player.

At first, I won a few regional victories, and later on, I won at the national level.

[wistful music playing]

[Carlos's father] My parents didn't have the necessary financial resources,

and by the time I was 19 or 20,

I understood that I wouldn't become a professional player.

When Carlos's future in tennis started to seem promising,

that's when we started looking for financial support

because of the high costs.

That's also when we decided that Albert would be our agent.

[Molina] I started working with Carlos when he was only 13 years old.

I always look for players around that age

to try to help them financially through sponsorships.

But most importantly, what we needed was a top-tier tennis coach.

Okay, now that we're all sitting, listen up.

Juanjo, a toast. A toast to everyone.

Pablito, bravo!

When was the first time you saw Carlos? Do you remember, Pablo?

I warmed up with Carlos before my first match,

which was the second match because Rafa had…

We told him he was gonna warm up with a 14-year-old kid,

and he said, "What?"

[laughter]

And I told you, "Dude, this guy is ready to play."

-"He hasn't missed a ball." -I didn't miss a ball.

-[Molina] You were there with Zverev. -Yeah, I was with Zverev.

The plan was to convince Juan Carlos,

who was coaching Zverev, the number-three player in the world,

and who was staying in the best hotels during the best tournaments,

to drop it all and train a 15-year-old kid,

starting from square one.

[man 1] I was with Zverev, trying to translate what he was saying.

[man 2] He learned to play in Russian, so he was speaking in Russian.

[Ferrero] Albert asked me to join,

and the idea of working with a kid and being able to work

and build something from scratch with someone so young,

especially with the knowledge I had as a player and coach,

was very appealing to me.

Then the next time I saw him, I think it was at the academy.

When you were there, you were what, 15?

[Ferrero] Carlos was shy with me at first.

I think he had a lot of respect for me.

He was also a little emotionally unstable at the time.

He was very cocky when he needed to complain,

and then down in the dumps when things went wrong.

It was like a roller coaster.

Man, that was psychological torture, but I'll tell ya, it sure toughened me up

because between this guy and this one

and this one, I swear, they toughened me up.

[Ferrero] But what I really liked about him was his confidence,

his courage, and the way he faced head on each situation.

Hi, I'm Carlos Alcaraz,

and, uh… welcome to Equelite, Juan Carlos Ferrero Academy.

At the academy, I was really excited and very happy.

Here is the rooms of the players.

So where the players live.

That's my room, where I sleep and I study for school.

[sentimental music playing]

Here is Ferrero with his trophies.

And now I… I will show you the rest of the academy.

Follow… follow me.

I spent long periods of time at the academy.

I would spend two weeks there and go back home every other weekend.

[laughter]

[Carlos's father] Bring some photos. Wait, let me grab a few more photos.

Can you get them for us?

Being away from your family for long periods when you're 15 years old,

it's a bit difficult, to tell you the truth..

Look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look, look.

Look at your mom.

[Virginia] Tennis is a very lonely sport, after all,

so when he started training with Juan Carlos,

he stopped hanging out with his friends in the afternoon

or going out as often, and that was a bit of a shock for him.

[Carlos's father] Maybe these got lost.

[Carlos's father] Until he turned 15, I tried as best as I could

to let him enjoy as many things as possible

and not have him give up on all the beautiful things

you could experience at that age,

but there comes a time when you have to commit

and decide whether you want to become a professional or not.

[determined music playing]

[Ferrero] The world of sports requires sacrifices.

All professional-level players know

you have to sacrifice many things in your life

because one thing you don't have for sure is time.

[Ferrero] Look at the angle.

Backhand now. Come on, just four more.

[Molina] I think Juan Carlos is the type of person who tells him,

"Hey, if you wanna be a number-one tennis player,

if you wanna win Grand Slams,

then what you need to do is work 24 hours a day." There's no other way.

[Carlos] I trusted my team.

Every time they told me to do something, I gave it my all,

even though it wasn't easy.

But I was determined to give my best, to be a professional.

[Lledó] Push! Watch your knees.

Push! Push!

[Moreno] When Carlos came to us, he was a skinny kid. He was a twig.

[Lledó] Control, control, control.

But in order to have a shot at being a professional,

we had to focus on transforming Carlos physically.

[Lledó] Push!

[Moreno] We knew we had a lot of work to do

to make sure he could take on players that were older than him.

We also knew he needed to have strength, perseverance, speed, and muscle

to be able to compete with them on the same level.

This was all new and hard work for Carlos.

He was constantly struggling because he wasn't used to it.

[Lledó] More, more, more! Come on, come on. Let's go!

He suffered, but the results were immediate.

[suspenseful music playing]

[anchor] The sleeveless T-shirt he wore in Australia

shows his incredible physical change.

This boy from Murcia is all grown up, full of muscles, and nice to look at.

[man 1] I think he's also become physically stronger.

[man 2] Yes, I noticed. Every tournament, I can see his physical progress.

It was a surprise to everyone.

It was as though Carlos had suddenly grown arms.

We were wondering how such a scrawny kid could end up being so muscular

and go through such a transformation.

I think that was the year that we all thought

Carlos might be ready enough to win something big.

SEPTEMBER 2022

[man] From Spain, the number-four player in the world,

Carlos Alcaraz.

And the first Norwegian finalist in US Open history,

Casper Ruud.

I remember that Carlos was kind of, uh… a little bit talk of the town.

He was playing some crazy matches on the way to the finals,

and we were both playing for our first Grand Slam.

Whoever won that match would be world number one the following day,

so… was a lot at stake.

[euphoric dance music playing]

[Ruud] I was feeling a bit pressured to play such a young guy,

and he came out, and he was, uh… destroying me.

-[commentator 1] Oh, passing winner! -[commentator 2] Wow.

[commentator 3] The most electrifying, exciting young player we've seen

since the likes of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

and Roger Federer came on the scene.

This boy is special.

[cheering]

[commentator 3] He is the US open champion.

He is the world number one,

the youngest man ever to do that.

We are looking at a new star of this sport.

[emotional music playing]

[commentator 3] And he embraces everybody in his box.

The men that have helped get him to where he is right now.

All the hard work that I did with my team, this, uh… something that…

yeah, it's really, really special for me.

2022 US Open men's champion, Carlos Alcaraz!

[Carlos] I dreamt of being the world's number one.

I dreamt of winning a Grand Slam.

Now it's time to keep dreaming

and to exist among the best for as long as possible.

I'm sure Carlos was also aware that doing it the right way,

he would truly be able to see that all the hard work he put in paid off.

[all] ♪ How can I not love you ♪

♪ If you just won the US Open For the first time? ♪

Becoming the world's number one and winning his first Grand Slam

completely transformed his life.

It all happened very fast.

-[rock music playing] -♪ One, two, and we can fill the cup ♪

♪ This is the moment, all up in my cup ♪

-Remember this kid's face. -The new world's number-one tennis player.

-At just 19 years old… -Carlos Alcaraz…

…the youngest male to take the number one ranking.

We did it! We did it!

It's been almost three years of constant sacrifice,

but over the course of these three years,

he's become an internationally famous player.

-Carlos. -Carlos, this way.

-How are you? -I'm great. You?

-Nervous? -Oh my God.

-Really? -It was like I was playing a final.

All the brand names sponsored him.

-Carlos, wanna play a little golf? -Yeah, let's do it.

[all] Oh!

-[man] Carlos, please. -Sorry, catch you later, guys.

Carlos, this is your moment.

His tennis calendar is very full.

He spent a lot of his time traveling and competing.

He has to fulfill commitments with sponsors.

He has photo shoots.

[man] That's perfect.

[man] Oh, thank you.

[all] Carlos, Carlos!

[man] The other way around. Turn it.

-Yours. Yours, yours, yours. -Oh, mine?

Like this? Okay, like this or like this?

Like this.

[cheering]

[Molina] In the end, it's exhausting.

-If we don't have time to eat, then... -[Carlos] Yeah, we won't.

[man] The King Felipe award is given to Mr. Carlos Alcaraz.

[applause]

[Molina] They're calling you already. Stressful.

I'm at a traffic light. I can't run the red.

[Molina] Overall, there's less time for yourself

because you need more time to focus on the essentials,

which are tennis and everything that goes with the world of tennis.

[man] Action.

[song ends]

Okay.

-[camera beeps] -[man] Okay, yeah.

In 2023, I was already mentally exhausted.

It was tennis 24-7, all the time, everywhere.

-[umpire] Game, set, and match. -[cheering]

Djokovic.

[Carlos] At the French Open, I lost to Djokovic in the semifinals.

One of my friends who was on vacation at that time

was gonna be in Ibiza with a friend,

so I told him, "I'll be there tomorrow."

[Molina] Carlos, ready. Let's go.

[Carlos] So the first thing I do is talk to Albert.

"Hey, Albert, I don't know how to say this,

but I really wanna go to Ibiza for a couple of days."

-This isn't coming out the right way. -You sure you thought this through?

I tried to explain to him that it wasn't the best idea

to go to Ibiza on vacation for a couple of days,

especially with the tournament in Queen's the following week

and after that, Wimbledon.

[woman] Are we ready, Toni? Are we? Let's go.

I end up leaving, and they all know what I'm going there for.

[energetic dance music playing]

JUNE 2023

[Carlos] In Ibiza, I'm not gonna lie,

everything is always all about partying and going out.

[cheering and whistling]

I wanted to go there basically just to get wasted.

I'm not really sure if that's the best way to put it,

but I just wanted to cut loose.

I mean, I made the most of it

because I knew I might not get another three days like that for a while.

When I got back, of course, I won Queen's and Wimbledon.

-[funky music playing] -[crowd cheering]

I'm not saying partying helped me win,

but taking that time off was good for me.

I'm someone who thinks that if it works for you,

then you have to keep doing it, so this year, I had to do it again.

11 JUNE, 2024

[man 1] Guille, flip him over, okay? Flip him over!

[man 2] Carlitos will go in the water first.

I'm the first person to want Carlos to be happy and have fun,

but it also needs to be the right time.

[man 1] Lean further back! Further back, further back!

2 WEEKS UNTIL WIMBLEDON

[man 3] Wipeout!

Of course he can go party if he wants.

I mean, he has to go, but he shouldn't do it

before getting ready for a Grand Slam.

[shouting excitedly]

Ehh! [laughing]

I remember telling Carlos, "It's not the right time."

"You're being very selfish in the present with your future self."

[Ferrero] If you go to Ibiza for six days and party every single night,

by the seventh day, you'll have done everything but rest.

I think it's great to disconnect, but

there's a part of your mind that needs to remember

you're a professional tennis player.

The sun's brutal.

[Carlos] Ultimately, they always wanna protect me.

They obviously know that I'm growing up, that I'm getting older,

and that I wanna start making my own decisions.

That's really all that I wanna do.

[cabin crew] Thank you for your attention and enjoy your flight.

[cheering and applause]

QUEEN'S 20 JUNE, 2024

[announcer] And defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz!

[Lledó] We were going to Queen's, he was playing in Queen's,

but his body wasn't prepared for that.

He had been partying nonstop for days.

How could he push himself now?

[commentator] And the defending champion is in trouble.

[Moreno] Since this was right after his vacation,

he didn't have time to properly prepare for Queen's to guarantee a win.

[umpire] Game, set, and match, Draper.

He lost very fast, and we all knew amongst ourselves

that he shouldn't have gone to Ibiza, that he should have been training.

The problem is he thinks that if he doesn't disconnect,

he won't be mentally renewed,

so he's stuck in that ongoing struggle between what he wants to do

and what he has to do.

27 JUNE, 2024

[woman] Carlos, please, please. We have to…

Please, we have to get going. Please. Sorry.

Sorry, sorry, sorry.

[Ferrero] Carlos wanted time off to make his own plans, right?

And we all agreed to some extent on that.

So let's just say that this was the price we had to pay.

We all have to make some sacrifices.

-[Molina] We move to the court? -[man] Yes.

[poignant music playing]

[Molina] Okay. I'll take it again if you want, Carlitos.

We spend more than 20 weeks away from our homes,

and we miss out on a lot of important family things.

-Where should I leave it? -[Molina] I'll take it. Give it to me.

I'll carry it. Don't worry.

Are you keeping the jacket, or should I take it?

-I'm keeping it, man. I'm cold. -Okay.

If you don't need it later, tell me.

-[Carlos] Okay. -Okay?

[Molina] I have a wife, a 16-year-old son,

and a 13-year-old daughter.

I'm missing out on being with my kids and seeing them grow up every day

so I can be present for Carlos's needs.

-[man] And how are the kids? -[Molina] Amazing.

-[man] Yeah? -[Molina] Finish their studies very well.

I would like to have more time to invest with them, but it's not easy.

[man] Yeah, I know.

When you're feeling a bit down and you think about home

and think about everything you're missing out on,

you think about your family, your parents.

Mine are getting older, and I'm not there by their side.

My anniversary is always during Wimbledon.

I've celebrated my birthday alone for 19 years.

[commentator] There's no time to get there.

I ordered food, okay? Hope you guys are hungry.

It's all good.

[yells]

Damn it, they scored!

[man 1] They scored a goal against themselves.

[Carlos] I can't believe it, man. [man 2] The first one, man!

[man 3] What a mess.

It's hard to be away from home and from your family for so long.

We knew that it's the world we've chosen, and we're used to it,

but that doesn't change the fact that it's incredibly tough.

Look, you can see it there.

-[Lledó] What a shame. -[Carlos] What a shame.

But Nico is slow there.

[sighs]

In February, I got divorced.

Four days later, Carlos's father asked me to travel with him full time,

and here we are.

[man] Watch out. Watch out!

[Moreno] The sacrifices we make on a personal level, on a family level,

being away from home, spending a lot of time working

and not being with our family and friends,

we do all that because we wanna create one of the greatest tennis players in history

and have him sit at the same table as the Big Three.

Oh my God! Who is that?

We're gonna score, bro. We're gonna score. We're definitely gonna score, man.

[Ferrero] We are here to make him the greatest player

because of his abilities and opportunities,

but if he's not that determined,

if he's okay with being ranked number 15 in the world,

then fine, we'll lower our expectations.

But knowing the way I am,

I think it would be very hard for me to keep working with him.

[determined music playing]

[commentator] Good afternoon, everyone,

and welcome.

This is the Wimbledon men's final 2024.

Carlitos, 21 years old.

He made it to this final by improving his game with every match,

and what can I say about the man standing across from him?

The greatest player of all time.

Novak Djokovic is aiming for nothing else on the court today

but his 25th Grand Slam title.

In order to be the greatest player in history,

you have to beat Djokovic.

[dramatic music playing]

[cheering and applause]

[commentator] It's Djokovic who claims this classic!

I think Novak is a very committed person, the most professional.

The guy is a real beast.

[Navrátilová] The ultimate professional.

He knows exactly what he needs to do, and he has the discipline to do it.

[exclaims]

Novak is able to sort of be hyper focused all the time.

You know, 24-7.

[Ferrero] He carefully monitors his diet.

He sleeps as much as he needs to. He trains as much as he has to.

He is totally and absolutely dedicated to being the greatest player in history.

[Moreno] Djokovic always knows exactly what he has to do at all times,

and Carlos isn't willing to give up things that Djokovic is ready to sacrifice

in order to achieve his goal, his dreams.

[cheering and applause]

I'm 21 years old, and right now,

I wanna do it my way.

I don't take care of myself like he does.

-[man] Championships. -[Carlos] I have received.

This side is good.

Maybe I spent a few days having fun.

Maybe more than a few and more fun

than I should have had.

[suspenseful music playing]

But in the end, I did it my way.

[dramatic drumbeat pounds, fades]

[suspenseful music continues]

[cheering and applause]

[commentator] The Spanish player has started strong.

I started the final really strong. I was focused.

I knew exactly what to do.

[commentator] Did you see how he swung his arm?

I did everything the same way, following the same pattern.

Not once did I let him trip me up.

[commentator] Oh wow!

Carlos Alcaraz doesn't miss a ball.

Second set was perfect.

[cheering and applause]

The third set, break point 5-4.

[dramatic music playing]

[commentator] Well, this is it, gentlemen. Carlos Alcaraz is serving

to win the tournament again.

-[crowd] Oh! -[scattered applause]

[fan] Come on, Alcaraz!

[commentator] The match isn't finished yet.

Djokovic has saved three match points. It's five-all.

Carlos gets distracted. Novak is very good.

When you give an opportunity to such a great player, he'll jump on it.

[cheering]

[Carlos] Mentally, it was tough.

I already saw myself with the Wimbledon trophy in hand,

and then I didn't.

Facing Djokovic, I knew that if I lost that set,

it would be very hard

because then Djokovic would raise his level and be a beast.

At that very moment, I told myself, "I have to go for him."

[tense music builds]

[intense music pounding]

[raucous cheering]

[triumphant music playing]

[commentator 1] Carlos Alcaraz is now one of the greatest tennis players worldwide,

successfully defending his title here at Wimbledon.

[commentator 2] Extraordinary. It's unbelievable.

It's a huge honor for me to be part of the… of those players

who have achieved Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

Really glad to be, uh… you know, in the same table as Novak to do it.

I try to… to keep going,

to keep, uh… you know, building my path, my journey,

and, uh… but, yeah, it's a huge honor for me.

[cheering]

[Carlos] Winning Wimbledon again is amazing.

It's really special. It was unbelievable to me.

[emotional music playing]

Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I've already achieved quite a lot

in the world of tennis, and after only a few years.

Right now, I'm also getting to know myself better,

little by little, as a tennis player,

and for me, one of the keys to winning more titles

is having fun.

Being able to have fun, to enjoy yourself,

you know, both on and off the court,

forgetting you're a tennis player, even though it's not always compatible,

is vital for me.

[man] Welcome.

-Good evening. -You too. Thank you.

[woman] Hi, Carlos. It's so nice to meet you.

[Ferrero] His understanding of work and sacrifice is different from ours.

He's so different that it makes me wonder

whether his way will help him become the greatest player in history.

-[pensive music playing] -Please.

[Ferrero] Having won two Grand Slams this year is of course great,

but maintaining those numbers each year,

that's what complicated.

That's what's really hard.

[man 1] Okay, guys, here we go.

-[man 2] Uno, dos, tres. -[man 1] Super, and again.

It's one thing to do what Carlos has done so far,

which has placed him among the greatest players of his time,

but when you think about the long-term and compare him to the legendary players,

they've all been around for 15 years,

and they're very successful.

And this is what determines the success of players such as Novak,

such as Roger and Rafa.

[Carlos] I went to Las Vegas to play a match against Rafa Nadal.

It was very important to me,

simply because I'd be playing against my idol.

You spent a lot of time with Rafa or not so much?

[Carlos] Um, not so much, yeah. Not so much.

A suggestion. When… when he's…

when he decides, whenever you should reach him,

and ask him for the things that he would do different, you know?

Yeah.

Be smart, you know.

You always wanna learn in ten minutes what took somebody ten years.

[funky music playing]

He… he told me, "Damn, I've seen you there,"

then something else. I don't know what.

You liked every girl picture.

-No, that's not true. -I saw it.

-That's not true. -I saw.

-Yes. -That's not true.

-Okay. That's not how it is.

[chuckles]

Yeah, he's told me… he's told me that several times.

Eh…

I haven't done that as much as he says. I haven't.

But all I can say is that I think it's just all part of life.

[chuckles] What a jerk, that Rafa.

[anticipatory music playing]

[Agassi] Vegas is more than just, you know, the Strip,

but we're seeing the greatest, um… environments for sports to participate.

Tennis come here now, especially with these two guys.

What a gift to Vegas.

[Carlos] I remember the first time I played

against Rafael Nadal at the Madrid open.

It was a special moment. I was turning 18.

[commentator] It's his 18th birthday.

He's sharing it with all of you, Carlos Alcaraz.

[cheering and applause]

I was watching Rafa Nadal doing his routine,

jumping, sprinting back and forth,

and I… I was so surprised.

I didn't know. I didn't know where to hide.

I was scared to death, to say the least. [chuckles]

[umpire] Game, set, two-love, Nadal.

Then three years later, I'm playing in Las Vegas

at this super huge event against my idol.

It was amazing.

-What's up, dude? How are you? -Good. How are you?

-Good, and you? -All good, dude.

I think Pau has been an example of dedication and self-improvement,

and I suggested, you know, that he also go to the locker room

because I knew Carlos would really like it.

Surround yourself with people who push you, who stimulate you.

There are many times when I see myself in conversations with Rafa

or with Pau Gasol, and I don't talk.

I don't. I don't contribute anything

because I feel like I don't have anything to offer.

I just listen.

There was this Nike event in Barcelona.

Rafa was there, and they told me, "Look at this kid. He's gonna be great."

We signed him on and everything, so he and I, we did this event together.

He was 15.

[hopeful music playing]

-It's your turn now, right? -We'll see.

Even if I'm only… even if I'm only half as successful.

-Little by little. -Yeah, right.

Maybe half, maybe twice as successful.

-Twice as hard, right? -Twice would be difficult.

Really very difficult.

Rafa is an extraordinary tennis player.

He's a natural-born competitor.

He's a high-level competitor.

The level of suffering that he's endured throughout his career

can only be endured by a few.

[indistinct chatter]

[Ferrero] Those shorts look like a size S, not a size M.

[Nadal] It's because you wanna show off your butt

with those shorts.

-[Carlos] If you say so. -[man] We are.

[Ferrero] How many Grand Slams a year do you need to win

in order to undeniably match Rafa's numbers?

Well, I'd say you would need two,

and if you don't win any one year, then three the next year.

[Nadal] To reach those numbers, you need many years.

No matter how good you are, you can't do it in five years.

[pensive music playing]

[Nadal] You have to be able to live with that motivation

or that ultimate goal in mind and pursue it until you really achieve it.

What Rafa has achieved is very, very, very difficult to do,

and it takes many years to do it.

What I mean is that you would need to win a lot of Grand Slams

over many years

with all the sacrifices that this requires.

[Molina] The level of sacrifice is very high.

Rafa has devoted his entire life to tennis.

His career was mapped out.

-[cheering and applause] -[tense music playing]

[commentator] The French Open has a name, Rafa Nadal!

[Muguruza] In order to reach Rafa's numbers,

you have to be obsessed with the game.

It's very difficult to reach that level in your career

without being obsessed by the game.

The struggle of wanting to be the best at something,

whatever it may be, is extremely hard to maintain.

Ultimately, you won't have a life.

I think Rafa Nadal likes to suffer. [chuckles]

[cheering and applause]

[Navrátilová] He's an amazing competitor, and he's such a high standard

for kids in Spain growing up.

[McEnroe] Obviously, Carlos coming from Spain

and trying to even get close to what Rafa has done is…

that's a very, very tall order.

[commentator] From the Michelob ULTRA Arena,

everything is ready for two of the best tennis players on the planet.

The legend versus the successor.

[announcer] He has 92 career singles titles,

22 Grand Slam singles titles,

including 14 at the French,

please welcome Rafael Nadal!

[Ferrero] Ever since I joined the team,

I've constantly heard that Carlos is the new Rafa.

[announcer] Carlos Alcaraz!

[cheering and applause]

[Carlos] The first time I was compared to Rafa,

I think I was 16 years old.

That was a cool moment for me.

I thought, "They're comparing you to your idol."

For them to say your son is the new Rafa and all these things is very nice,

but then on the court, it turns against you. It adds pressure.

[Virginia] People expect him to be just like Rafa,

to be a legend.

However, he can't let people on the outside

dictate what he should or shouldn't be.

I don't want them to break him, then throw him out like a toy.

[Nadal] When they're constantly comparing you

to some professional who's been on the circuit for many years,

there are times you get tired of hearing it.

This leads to an excess of pressure, and in the end,

I think it can distort your daily life and even confuse you.

[man] The new Nadal is named Carlos Alcaraz.

"He's Rafa's successor."

[woman 1] Carlos Alcaraz, the new Nadal.

"You're going to take Rafa's place."

[woman 2] Nadal already has an heir to his throne.

"He's the heir to the throne."

"To the crown of Spain."

Mm… That's not helpful.

"Rafa didn't achieve this at your age." Okay, fine. So what?

I don't wanna be called Rafa's successor.

I wanna be called Carlos Alcaraz Garfia.

[determined music playing]

It would be amazing to win that gold medal with Rafa.

-Here it comes. Here it comes. -[laughter]

Everybody is already sure that Rafa and Carlos will win the gold medal.

Don't hold anything back, or you'll regret it later.

[Molina] This means, for Carlos, even more pressure than he usually has.

At the end of the season, Carlos hit rock bottom.

Take it easy.

[Carlos] In my head, I often have a puzzle I can't solve.

I don't know what I want.

[Federer] The compatible life is a tricky one, right?

Because you wanna be everywhere, but you can't be.

When you left, I told you, "I don't think you should leave right now,"

and you said, "I have to."

I wasn't mentally strong enough to overcome all the stress.

What am I looking for there?

If I go there and feel that way, it's better not to play tennis at all.

[tense music building]

To be the greatest player in history, you have to be a slave to the game.

[commentator] I don't think we've ever seen him like this before.

If you feel like you're sacrificing a lot, then you probably won't make it,

because in the end, you'll end up burning out way too soon.

-[dramatic drumbeat pounds] -[music fades]

[unsettling music playing]