Alcaraz will travel to Australia fresh off his maiden Grand Slam title after winning the US Open in record-breaking fashion this past September.
At just 19 years, four months and six days of age, the Spaniard defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in four sets to become the youngest US Open champion and world number one since Pete Sampras in 1990.
An abdominal tear sustained in November put a premature end to his season, but not before securing his place as the first teenager to top the men's rankings at the end of a year.
The six-week recovery left the exciting talent in need of practice – not competition – as a result, which is why he’s only circled the Kooyong Classic from the assortment of tournaments on offer.
“I decided to sacrifice the tournaments from the start of the year to focus on the big one,” Alcaraz said, per tennis journalist Jose Morgado.
“That’s why I’m just playing Kooyong. The focus is on getting better and be (sic) ready.”
The Kooyong Classic is an exhibition tournament scheduled to take place from January 10-12 that will feature some of the sport’s brightest stars less than one week out from the Australian Open.
Many Grand Slam champions have taken to the court in Kooyong, situated south-east of Melbourne, and Alcaraz will be no different as the prospect of another singles title looms.
Australian Alex de Minaur leads a strong list of contenders standing in his way, however, with Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz, Borna Coric, Marin Cilic, Grigor Dimitrov and Yoshihito Nishioka all set to compete.
SBS and SBS On Demand will air all three days of the iconic tournament, with coverage commencing on January 10 from 11am (AEDT).
