The world number 1 recovered from a muscle tear in his left abdomen that prevented him from playing the season-ending Masters and the Davis Cup in the last weeks of the year, unable to train at full capacity until last week.
Two losses to Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud in a tournament in Abu Dhabi this weekend helped Alcaraz return to action and the 19-year-old Spaniard believes he has enough time to train and find his game before the start of the first Grand Slam of 2023, next January 16.
“I would say the key is to train a lot, put in a lot of hours on the court. With that you are going to reach your best level and be ready for the season,” the reigning US Open champion told reporters in the United Arab Emirates capital.
“I have a month before the Australian Open so I have time to continue training, trying to reach my level and I would say that I will be ready and 100% in Australia,” he added.
Alcaraz, the youngest world number 1 in ATP history, will not participate in any official tournament prior to the Australian Open, although he will be in an exhibition at the Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club in Melbourne between January 10 and 12 .
The Spaniard knows that 2023 will come with new experiences for him now that he is a Grand Slam winner and that he occupies the highest ranking position.
“I have to be prepared for this: the pressure, the people, the players too, they are going to have all their eyes on me and I am going to have to be prepared for it,” he explained.
The Murcian also believes that coming off injury and not having had much time to train can take some of the pressure off Australia.
“Surely it will help me a bit to try not to think about the people, the expectations and the ranking,” he said this Sunday.