He is the title favourite along with rival Sinner
\n MELBOURNE
\nCarlos Alcaraz warned Friday that he was \u201chungry\u201d to break his Australian Open title drought and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, calling it his primary target in 2026.
\nThe world number one from Spain is the title favourite along with two-time defending champion and great rival Jannik Sinner.
\nThe Melbourne Park crown is the only one of the four majors that Alcaraz has never won, his best performance the quarter-finals in 2024 and 2025.
\nIf he goes all the way this year he will surpass fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal as the youngest man to win all four majors. Nadal was 24 when he achieved the feat.
\nThe 22-year-old Alcaraz, who begins his title assault against Australia\u2019s 79th-ranked Adam Walton, said he could not wait to get going.
\n\u201cI think this is my main goal for this year,\u201d said Alcaraz, whose only warm-up was a win against Italy\u2019s Sinner in a light-hearted exhibition match in South Korea.
\n\u201cSo it\u2019s going to be really interesting for me how I prepared, which I think I just made a really good pre-season, just to be in a good shape.
\n\u201cI\u2019m just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here. I\u2019m just getting ready as much as I can.
\n\u201cI\u2019m really excited about the tournament beginning.\u201d
\nAlcaraz was asked by reporters if he would swap titles at all three of the other majors this year for one Melbourne crown.
\nUnderlining just how important winning the Australian Open and nailing the career Grand Slam is to him, he said he could not decide.
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know which one I would choose,\u201d he said, smiling broadly.
\n\u201cObviously complete the career Grand Slam is something amazing to do, be able to be the youngest that has done it before, you know, is even better.\u201d
\nNo change after split
\nThere has been much focus on Alcaraz\u2019s coaching team in the build-up to Melbourne.
\nIn December the six-time major champion abruptly announced that he was splitting from coach Juan Carlos Ferrero after seven hugely successful years together, with assistant Samuel Lopez taking over.
\nAlcaraz began working with Ferrero, a former world number one, when he was a teenager.
\nQuizzed by reporters for the reasons behind the surprise split, Alcaraz said that it felt like the right time to end the partnership and was a mutual decision.
\n\u201cWith Juan Carlos, we decided to do it. I\u2019m just having plenty of confidence in the team that I have right now,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cAs I said, practice has been really good. I\u2019m just feeling well.
\n\u201cSo just excited about the tournament beginning with the team that I have right now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
He is the title favourite along with rival Sinner MELBOURNE Carlos Alcaraz warned Friday that he was \u201chungry\u201d to break his Australian Open title drought and become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, calling it his primary target in 2026. The world number one from Spain is the title favourite along with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":526090,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-526074","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n