A holiday in Miami, time at home surrounded by loved ones and plenty of board games - that is how Carlos Alcaraz mentally recharged during the off-season before starting another bid to make history at the Australian Open. Victory in Melbourne would complete the career Grand Slam for the Spaniard, who has already won each of the other three majors twice. Should he do so, the 22-year-old would become the youngest player - and only the ninth overall - to achieve the milestone in the men's singles, with six-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer among those backing him to do so. Despite taking a nine-week break from competitive tennis following a landmark 2025 season which saw him win eight titles, including the French Open and US Open, and finish as year-end number one, Alcaraz showed few signs of rust as he overcame Australia's Adam Walton 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 6-2. It was a really long season, a tough one - a lot of tough moments, a lot of good moments, Alcaraz said. I had two weeks [on holiday]. One in Miami with a big group of friends - we had fun - and then a second week in Turks and Caicos to relax a little. I stayed home, I recharged the batteries. Mentally, I am fresh to play in the first tournament of the year and I'm ready to play really good tennis in Melbourne. Continue on BBC
