Carlos Alcaraz donates US Open sneakers to charity auction

Carlos Alcaraz has donated the sneakers he wore during his title-winning campaign at the 2022 US Open to a charity auction.

The 19-year-old signed the sneakers he wore at Flushing Meadows and donated them to Assido, an organization for people who suffer from down syndrome. It was founded in 1981 in Murcia, Alcaraz's birthplace.

The auction saw the World No. 1's sneakers sold for €2250 each, with the proceeds going to charity. The organization's president, Victor Martinez, thanked Alcaraz for his help with their project and for spreading the association's values throughout the world.

"Once again, our ambassador Carlos Alcaraz demonstrates his commitment to the people of his land and to the people of Murcia who need it most by helping to make many life projects of people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities come true and spreading the values of Assido through the whole world," Martinez said.

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Carlos Alcaraz eyes second Grand Slam title in 2023

Carlos Alcaraz with the year-end World No. 1 trophy

Carlos Alcaraz had a successful 2022 season, winning five titles and registering a 57-13 win-loss record. His biggest triumph of the campaign was his maiden Grand Slam title, which he won at the US Open, a victory that saw him become the World No. 1.

The Spaniard is eager to build on his success and add more Majors to his trophy cabinet. He recently stated that his goal for 2023 was to win his second Grand Slam.

“I want more. To win my second Grand Slam, I would say that’s the goal for the new year. Wimbledon would be fine for me. Yeah," Alcaraz said.

The teenager stated that he had a few tears when talking to his father about becoming the year-end World No. 1.

“Honestly, when I talked with my father, when I’m going to end (the year as the) No. 1 in the world - tears, you know. I had tears, yeah, a little bit,” he revealed.

He also said that a strong mentality, calmness, and self-belief were important to be at the top level.

"The key to be at the top? Mentality. To stay calm. To be your 100% the whole year. You have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can win every match, every tournament,” he said.

Carlos Alcaraz most recently took part in the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi, where he finished fourth. He lost both of his matches to Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud. The youngster is scheduled to start the 2023 season at the Australian Open.