Carlos Alcaraz said he will “for sure” get a kangaroo tattoo if he wins the Australian Open, the only Grand Slam title missing from his already illustrious career.
The Spaniard overcame Portugal’s Nuno Borges 6-2 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-2 to progress to the fourth round, where he could meet British number one Jack Draper.
The 21-year-old is bidding to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam.
“I will get a kangaroo [tattoo] for sure, that’s my idea. The only thing missing is to lift the trophy here but it’s definitely the plan if it happens,” he said.
Alcaraz already has tattoos of the date of his 2022 US Open win, the Eiffel Tower to represent his 2024 French Open triumph and a strawberry to represent his two Wimbledon titles.
The third seed has never made it past the quarter-final stage in Melbourne but looked in fine tune on Friday as he showcased his signature energetic and dynamic tennis.
“I’m really happy to play here again. I tried to show my best tennis on a beautiful court and the last time I played here I lost so I wanted to play here and win,” he said.
“It’s a privilege to feel this love. I try to play different tennis, show the shots that I enjoy doing and show my good tennis and try to entertain the people as well and make them happy.”
Image source: Rex Features
Image caption: Alcaraz has the date of his 2022 US Open win tattooed on his arm
Image source: Rex Features
Image caption: Alcaraz has a tattoo of a strawberry with the date of his first Wimbledon win above his ankle
Alcaraz cruised through the opening two sets against Borges without facing a break point, having suggested he was pleased with his serving in his previous match by writing ‘am I a servebot?’ on the camera lens after his win.
Alcaraz will perhaps be frustrated to see he won 57% of his second-serve points compared to 71% on Wednesday but he will also be paying attention to his unforced error count.
He made 50 in the match – nine more than his opponent – and, for the most part, they did not have much bearing on the score but a series of them in the second set ultimately led to world number 33 Borges securing at least a tie-break.
Alcaraz struggled to find his groove in the tie-break and again errors proved costly as he conceded the third set.
But his impassioned style and showmanship came through again in the fourth set with a dominant showing which put paid to any hope of a Borges comeback with some moments of brilliance.
His movement on court never fails to impress and his varied shot selection often has the crowd on their feet, with an incredible no-look winner to break Borges’ serve in the fourth the highlight.