Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he tattooed the date of his first Grand Slam title win and his grandfather's motto to embrace them as souvenirs for the rest of his life.
Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in the 2022 US Open final to claim his maiden Grand Slam title. The Spaniard memorialized the monumental achievement by tattooing the date of his win, 11 September 2022, on his elbow. The tattoo reads, "11.09.22."
Alcaraz has lived by his grandfather's motto of "cabeza, corazón, cojones," which translates to "head, heart, balls." The Spaniard has stated that he draws inspiration from the motto during crucial moments in matches. He eventually decided to get it inked on his forearm at the end of last year.
In a recent interview with Marca, Alcaraz said that he was certain about getting these two tattoos as "they had to be with" him "for life."
"It was clear to me that I wanted to tattoo the first Grand Slam and my grandfather's motto," Alcaraz said. "They had to be with me for life. If I win more, I'll see what I do."
Alcaraz also credited his home-town friend and "one of the best tattoo artists in the world," Ganga, for helping him get inked.
"The fact that one of the best tattoo artists in the world is from my town made me see that he had to do it first. He is a crack at his thing and he helped me do them," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz wants his next Grand Slam title at Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz has stated that he would be "especially excited" to win his next Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
During the same interview, Alcaraz admitted that the French Open has been the go-to Major for the Spaniards, adding that his personal wish is to secure a title on the grass courts of Wimbledon.
"Roland Garros has always been the Grand Slam for the Spanish and I would love to win it, but I would be especially excited to win at Wimbledon," the World No. 2 said.
Alcaraz also believes that his aggressive style of play is well-suited for grass courts.
"My style of play can go quite well on grass because I am aggressive, I go to the net, I hit hard, and that on grass is what you have to do," he stated.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a fourth-round loss to Jannik Sinner at last year's Wimbledon.