Carlitos’ way: 6 things about Alcaraz we learned from his Netflix miniseries

Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t take the court at the Mutua Madrid Open last week due to injury, but his presence was felt all over the Caja Magica ahead of the release of his new Netflix miniseries.

Spanning three episodes and documenting his 2024 season on and off the court, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way offers a candid look at the whirlwind life of one of the world’s top tennis players. Alcaraz also gets real about the pressures that he’s under—both from the sports world wanting him to become 'The Next Rafael Nadal' to meeting his own team’s high expectations.

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz says he “also wants to enjoy being 21” in upcoming Netflix docuseries

Already the youngest ATP world No. 1 of all time, the 21-year-old has lifted four Grand Slams to date and seems poised to rack up more. But sometimes, all he wants to do is hang out with his friends at a Formula 1 race, or cut loose and forget his worries in Ibiza. The series documents Alcaraz’s search for balance through it all, as he seeks to go about his career and personal life in ‘his way’.

Here are 6 things we learned about the kid from Murcia thanks to Netflix:

1. He still sleeps on a twin-sized bed at his parent’s house.

Alcaraz recently surpassed $40 million in career prize money—but he’s not the kind of guy who splashes out on a flashy penthouse in a tax haven with nice weather.

In fact Alcaraz, who goes by “Charlie” or “Carlitos” among friends and family, still lives at home with his parents in El Palmar, Murcia. And he’s got no intention of changing that, either.

I could live on my own, but I like being around my family. I like being around my parents. Carlos Alcaraz

“I come here after every tournament,” Alcaraz explains. “This is my quiet place… I could live on my own, but I like being around my family. I like being around my parents.”

In the series’ opening episode, ‘Finding Joy in the Pain’, viewers get a tour of his small bedroom, which includes his twin-sized bed pressed against one wall and shelves stuffed full of his sneaker collection and trophy haul on the other. His Grand Slam trophies occupy a prime spot at the top of his bedroom bookcases—at least for now.

“I’m running out of space! It’s a bit cramped, but it’s okay. We make it work.”

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz surpasses 40 million dollars in career prize money after winning Monte Carlo

2. Jannik Sinner is “the toughest player you can compete against.”

Since My Way delves into Alcaraz’s 2024 season, it’s no surprise that rival Jannik Sinner features prominently throughout the three episodes. The pair faced each other three times last season, with the Spaniard going 3-0 against the world No. 1.

Alcaraz heaps praise on Sinner, and says his opponent “motivates me to be better”—a sentiment that Sinner completely agrees with.

The Italian even makes a brief cameo as a talking head to shed light on their rivalry, praising Alcaraz’s mental strength for playing through cramps in their Roland Garros semifinal and prevailing in a three-set classic in the Beijing final.

“Me and Carlos, we have a great rivalry,” Sinner says. “When we play, there’s a bit more extra attention and, from our side, a bit more tension.

“He won Masters events, as I did, and he won Grand Slams. While he’s winning, I feel like my practice sessions are getting more intense.”

3. Carlitos’ cure for burnout? Partying with friends in Ibiza.

Part of doing things “his way” includes disconnecting from the tennis world and blowing off steam when the time is right. Alcaraz is shown doing the kinds of things that normal 20-something Spanish men do—like going to watch a Formula 1 race or jetting off to Ibiza for a week of partying on the Mediterranean.

That becomes a point of contention throughout the series between Alcaraz and his team, who weren’t particularly happy that he took a few days off after his Roland Garros victory.

“If you go to Ibiza for six days and go out every single night, by the seventh day you’ve done anything but rest,” says coach Ferrero. “I think it’s great to disconnect, but some part of your head has to remember that you’re a tennis player.”

But for Alcaraz, who calculated that he spends a maximum of two months at home with friends and family, these breaks aren’t just vacations taken on a whim. It’s more of a 'need', says Alcaraz, and a way to combat burnout in the moments when he ‘doesn’t want to see a tennis ball for a week and a half.’

“I end up going, and they know what I’m going there for… In Ibiza, I’m not gonna lie, everything is always about partying and going out,” Alcaraz tells cameras with a grin.

“I wanted to go there and get wasted. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say it like that, but I just wanted to cut loose.”

4. Doing it “his way” puts Alcaraz at odds with his team’s “slave to tennis” philosophy.

“If you force Carlos’ hand, if you force him to work because that’s what’s expected of him, we’ll lose him. We’ll lose him,” says Alcaraz’s agent, Albert Molina. “He’ll lose his joy, he’ll lose his drive, and maybe in three years or so he’ll quit playing tennis.”

This somber warning comes not even 10 minutes into the series’ first episode, and it sets the tone for the biggest conflict in My Way as a young Alcaraz searches for balance and self-expression, while his team attempts to fit him into the exacting mold of tennis greatness.

“In many interviews, I might get asked ‘What are you afraid of?’ and I never really know how to answer that. But right now, my biggest fear is to start seeing tennis as an obligation,” Alcaraz revealed.

I think it’s great to disconnect, but some part of your head has to remember that you’re a tennis player. Juan Carlos Ferrero

Alcaraz has been candid about struggling with mental exhaustion and fatigue at various points over the years—“It was 24/7, all the time, always thinking about tennis,” he says about his 2023 season—and his need to unplug from it all. That frequently puts him at odds with his team’s philosophy, which is to “work for 24 hours a day” and “become a slave to tennis.”

In one revealing clip, Ferrero admits: “His understanding of work and sacrifice is so different from ours. It’s so different that it makes me doubt whether ‘his way’ of doing things will help him become the best in the world.”

5. Working with young Carlos was “a roller coaster”, says Ferrero.

My Way features an all-star cast of tennis legends and greats providing interviews and sharing their perspective on Alcaraz’s rise and his career achievements—from Nadal and Roger Federer, to Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, and more. Equally fascinating are the interviews with Alcaraz’s close friends and family, with his brother Alvaro and dad Carlos featuring throughout to recall the Spaniard’s start in tennis.

Ferrero, a former world No. 1 who had just been training world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, recalled the moment when he got the call from Molina about a promising 15-year-old from Murcia.

"The idea of ​​working with a young guy from a young age, helping to build something from the ground up with the knowledge I have as a player, as a coach—the idea spoke to me a lot," Ferrero said.

But training a teenager wasn’t always easy, as Ferrero also compared his earliest days of working with Alcaraz to “a roller coaster.”

"Carlos was a shy kid at first with me. I think he had a lot of respect for me,” he said. “He wasn't very stable in terms of his emotional maturity. Man, he would get very cocky with victories and then if things didn't go his way, he was down in the dumps. So, basically, it was a roller coaster."

Read More: Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal reunite on the red carpet at the Laureus World Sports Awards

6. Like it or not, Rafa’s shadow looms large.

Last year may have been a big season for Alcaraz, but it was also a huge one for tennis fans after Nadal announced his retirement. The moment marked a changing of the guard at the top of Spanish tennis—and added a bit more pressure to Alcaraz’s shoulders in the process.

The comparisons to the 22-time Grand Slam winner started when he was around 15 or 16, he recalled. Since then, he’s heard them all: The New Rafa, The Next Nadal, The Heir to the Throne.

If you’re wondering how Alcaraz feels about it, the second episode in the series is titled ‘I’m Not Rafa’.

“I don’t want them to call me Rafa’s successor, I want to be called Carlos Alcaraz Garfia,” he states.

I’m still young, and I have a lot ahead of me. But from what I’ve lived so far, I definitely prefer to put happiness before any kind of accomplishment. Carlos Alcaraz

There are still plenty of “Nadalcaraz” moments for fans to enjoy, from their face-off in the Netflix Slam in Las Vegas to their stint as doubles partners in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But Alcaraz reminds viewers that he’s not Nadal (and that he's not trying to be, either) as he reflects on his goals and definition of success in the series' poignant closing moments.

“I would love to sit at the same table as the Big Three when it comes to titles. My goal is to become the greatest player in history,” he says in the final episode, ‘My Way.’

“Do I really have the mindset to do everything it takes, to deal with everything, so that I can become the best in history? Right now, I don’t know.

“I’m still young, and I have a lot ahead of me. But from what I’ve lived so far, I definitely prefer to put happiness before any kind of accomplishment. Because being happy is an accomplishment. It’s not easy to find happiness.”