Carlos Alcaraz says becoming world number one not an 'obsession' for him

Alcaraz is currently ranked second in the world behind Novak Djokovic, although he recently lost some ground on the Serbian due to dropping the 500 rankings points he earned in Rio this time last year.

Rather than return to the ATP 500 event in Brazil, the Spaniard has instead opted to start his season at the ATP 250 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires starting this week.

"The goal of being No 1 is always in the mind but, naturally, it is not an obsession, because of his youth and because he has already been (there)," Ferrero said according to Tennis Infinity.

"Right now, what Carlos wants is to be healthy and be able to compete, he wants to show his best level and fight to win tournaments."

But while he may not be focused on the world rankings, Alcaraz is determined to try and win every match he plays, in which case the ranking would surely take care of itself.

Having only just returned from injury, however, the Spaniard knows patience will be key.

"I always arrive thinking about winning and wanting to win, even though it won't be easy after such a long time without competing," he said.

"That's why I've come a few days early, to train with really good players, gradually improve and to be able to start the tournament as well as possible."

And there's no doubt the 19-year-old phenom has high expectations of himself, despite how much he has already achieved in a short space of time.

"I'm certain that I need to continue to improve," he added. "Achieving my dream very quickly [winning last year's US Open] caught me by surprise, so to speak. Now I'm used to it, I have a goal, I know where I want to get to, what I want to be, and that is the most important thing.

"I think I can improve everything in terms of my game, fitness and mentality. Little by little, my team will take those small steps to get even better.

"It [2022] was a very good year. I achieved my dream, my goal, very quickly. Practically in just a year. I dealt with it as naturally as possible.

"After becoming No. 1 I had to set new goals, new things for the long term, to continue to enjoy myself, continue to improve, because I'm very young and I have a lot of things to improve, despite being the No. 1.

"You have to keep training and looking forward."