Melbourne, Jan 11
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz expressed his goal to win 'as many Grand Slams' as possible ahead of the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday.

Australian Open is the only major title missing from the 21-year-old's collection.

“For me the goal is try to win Grand Slams, Masters 1000s. Those for me (are) the most important tournaments of the world,” Alcaraz said.

“Obviously the ranking is up there in the goals, as well, trying to get as close as I can to Jannik (Sinner) or try to pass (Alexander) Zverev as well. The ranking is there. But mainly [the] thing for me is Grand Slams, trying to win as many Grand Slams as I can," he added.

Alcaraz has already secured four major titles, surpassing the achievements of greats like the recently retired Andy Murray and former World No. 3 Stan Wawrinka. In 2024, the Spaniard and Jannik Sinner dominated the Grand Slam scene, each claiming two titles. Sinner, who has held the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings since June, has become a central figure in Alcaraz’s career. Alcaraz shared how their thrilling rivalry has been a driving force in his development.

“When I'm playing against him, I have (a) different mindset, a little bit. When you’re facing the best players or the best player in the world, you have to do something different, different preparation, or different mindset,” Alcaraz said.

“When I'm facing him, I just know that I have to play my best if I want to win. That's it. Probably if I have a bad day against Jannik, it's 99 per cent that you're going to lose. That's what is in my mind every time that I'm going to play against him.

“The good thing for me is when I'm seeing him winning titles, when I'm seeing him in the top of the rankings, [it] forces me to practise even harder every day. In the practice, I'm just thinking the things that I have to improve to play against him. That I think is great for me, having him, have such a great rivalry so far, just to give the best of me every day," he added.

Alcaraz and Sinner cannot face each other until the final at Melbourne Park. The third seed will stay focused on each match ahead, beginning with his opening clash against Alexander Shevchenko. A year ago, Alcaraz was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open by Alexander Zverev. That time, he made the trip to Australia without his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who missed the tournament after undergoing knee surgery. However, the former World No. 1 is back in Alcaraz’s corner for this year's edition at Melbourne Park.

“Juan Carlos with me six years now. He knows me really well. He knows what I need during the matches, how the things have to be said during the matches,” Alcaraz said.

“As I said last year, for me, Juan Carlos is really important. I really like being with him in the tournaments. But last year, for example, I was with Samuel that right now is my second coach. I trust him 100 per cent as well.”

'Goal is to win as many Grand Slams as I can': Alcaraz ahead of Aus Open