“We are having a great season.”

He admits that at the beginning of the year I couldn’t even think about it. “Sinner won every tournament he played. But since the middle of the season, I have been able to play at a high level in several successive tournaments and see the goal closer.” Progressive, as has been this cycle of raising levels, emotional balance, strengthening the serve, strengthening the backhand, understanding that you can win without brilliance, knowing that you can lose with brilliance, conciliatory defeats and massive victories. With the same desire to continue improving to have fun, there is no longer any debate: they can be combined. Carlos Alcaraz is a leader without debate.

There is a painful start to the year, because you aspire and want to win the Australian Open, but you are faced with your lack of intensity and Novak Djokovic who refuses to wither. There is Alcaraz, who turns away sadness with his first victory inside the hall in Rotterdam. There is Alcaraz, who reached rock bottom after his first defeat in Miami. His medicine: surrounding himself with his loved ones and taking a vacation; Forget tennis and reset. And from there, a wonderful spring began: we ran to Monte Carlo, Rome, the final match of the finals against Sinner to win the second Roland Garros title, Queen’s. He got his groove back and the hard courts were no longer a problem: Cincinnati and the US Open, where it all started, against Sinner from whom he snatched No. 1 in a struggle for the throne that lasted throughout the summer and fall. The defeat in Paris, against Nouri, returned the club to the Italian but angered the Spaniard, who is close to reaching the end of the season after a long slap on the wrist last year.

A dedicated student, he turns his three ATP Finals victories into three victories despite the pressure and nerves. “I was very clear about the situations I might face: that things would not go well, that the sensations would not be the best, but I knew what I had to do: be mentally strong, wait for the opportunity, focus on the serve and the specific shots. And that’s what I did very well. I was calm most of the time and dealt with the complications,” he said after a great match in which he achieved what was agreed upon.

Also in the whole learning process, which includes knowing that the season runs from January to November, and knowing that you have to compete even when you’re bad. “We are having a great season. Consistency is something that has always worked against me. Something I tried to work on as much as possible. In previous years when it came to matches and tournaments, consistency was a hindrance for me. We tried to improve. This year we showed that I have improved. In every tournament I was able to win, reach the final or achieve a good result. “This is what I have left,” he said later, wearing a shirt bearing the number 23. So he can’t say anything else: “The start of the year wasn’t the best, but we’re back and this is the best we’ve done so far with two tournaments to go.”

He has already reached that stage where competitors will have to do everything in their power to win even if he does not have everything in place. “There are many factors that affect whether we win or not, but I know that I can compete and give myself a chance to win even if we are not feeling well. This is what we have improved a lot. We try to find solutions in matches, but I find that the vast majority of the time they will have to play very well to beat me even if I don’t feel good.

Decisive, focused, superior, diligent, proud after an hour and a half of controlling the forehand and the backhand, calming the nerves and desire of this No. 1. “This means a lot to me. Everything we’ve been through, the ups and downs I’ve had to go through being here, I’m so proud of my team and myself. Now: “Part of the season’s goals have been achieved; “Now we’ll go to the next one.” On Saturday, at 8:30 p.m., the semi-final with Aliassime or Zverev. Today Alcaraz has the world of tennis at his feet.