Stunning Carlos Alcaraz image highlights some of the qualities that cement his greatness
Carlos Alcaraz may have finished 2024 in the shadow of world No 1 Jannik Sinner, but he still had a year to remember.
The 21-year-old Spaniard won his first French Open title in June and backed that up by retaining his Wimbledon title with a stunning win against Novak Djokovic in the final at the All England Club.
Sinner’s incredible year that included wins at the Australian Open, US Open and in the Davis Cup with Italy may have given him an edge in the battle to be named as player of the year in the men’s game.
Yet Alcaraz’s legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats was cemented as he took his Grand Slam haul to four, even though he is still a relative notive on the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz’s dynamic style of play is perfect for photographers looking for a dynamic image in one of the world’s biggest tennis venues and the contenders for the 2024 ITF Photo of the Year featured two images of Alcaraz.
An image of Japanese wheelchair tennis star Tokito Oda celebrating his first Paralympic gold medal has been named the 2024 ITF Tennis Photograph of the Year.
The teenage Japaneese star removed the wheels from his chair and lay in tears on the court – a moment captured by this year’s winning photographer, Frank Molter (Germany) who claims the top prize of $3,000 USD.
In second place was amateur French photographer Agathe Monier’s image of Rafael Nadal leaving Court Philippe Chatrier during his final Grand Slam appearance at Roland Garros. Agathe Monier wins $1,000 USD.
The third-place image was taken by Fiona Hamilton (Australia) who wins $500 USD. It shows a smiling young child crawling under a net at the National Indigenous Tennis Carnival held in Darwin, Australia in August.
The images of Alcaraz included a sot of him showing determination alongside Spanaish icon Rafael Nadal as the duo played together in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The other featured a photograph taken by Nicolas Gouhier (France) that was so captured so perfectly that the image looks like a painting rather than a photograph.
Taken at Roland Garros during the French Open, the shot of a beautifully poised Alcaraz hitting a backhand slice with his head focused perfectly on the ball highlighted why this young player has so many aspects of his game nailed down.
With the light capturing Alcaraz’s shot perfectly, it was a worthy contender for the ITF award, which was captured in a tournament ultimately won by the Spanish sensation.
Alcaraz is a wonderful ambassador for a new era of tennis champions, yet former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash suggests he needs to guard against burnout after achieving so much fame, fortune and success so soon in his career.
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“I hope Carlos continues to enjoy his tennis and doesn’t feel burdened by it all,” Cash told Tennis365 in his role as an ambassador for the Bank of China Hong Kong Open 2025.
“He could look at it and think ‘I’ve done just about everything and I’m getting sick of this’, but you can see he loves it at the moment and it’s amazing that he is such a complete player at this age.
“Alcaraz has got everything. I’ve never seen a young player who has developed all his game at such a young age. There are normally some areas that need improving at that age. Not since Boris Becker came through and won Wimbledon have I seen a player as complete as Alcaraz at such a young age.
“Alcaraz is an incredibly complete. He’s lightening fast, he can play on any surface and at the moment, you would put him in there with Sinner as a favourite for every tournament he enters.
“You look at Roger (Federer) and he needed to fix his backhand when he came through and (Rafael) Nadal needed to work on his volleys. They worked on those things throughout his career, but Alcaraz looked like a complete player at the age of 20.
“Carlos has the variety to play on any surface and he has proved that by winning Grand Slams on three. Jannik hasn’t quite cracked the grass yet, but they are both hitting the ball great.
“It’s about putting it all together, staying healthy and enjoying tennis to see how far he can go. It can be a grind doing it week after week, so we’ll see how he goes.
“Sinner has a calmer personality and that tends to help for longevity. We like to see the passion that Carlos has got, but I hope he continues to enjoy it.”
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