Being Carlos Alcaraz cover art

Being Carlos Alcaraz

The Man Behind the Smile

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Being Carlos Alcaraz

By: Mark Hodgkinson
Narrated by: Russell Bentley
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About this listen

 'This is a wonderful book. I love it. Mark's research is amazing, with the in-depth interviews and level of detail providing great insights into who Carlos Alcaraz is.'
- Annabel Croft, broadcaster and former tennis player:

'A perfect match of author and subject. Mark Hodgkinson's mix of style and substance - flair and professionalism - mirrors Carlos Alcaraz on a tennis court.'
- Jon Wertheim, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated

'This is a great window into the background and processes of arguably the most exciting player in men's tennis right now.'
- Charlie Eccleshare, tennis correspondent for the New York Times and The Athletic

'A highly readable portrait of tennis's most exciting young talent.'
- Conor Niland, a former tennis player and the winner of the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award 2024 for 'The Racket'

'This is a brilliant book. The detail on offer is extraordinary ... A cracking read for any tennis fan.'
- Courtney Walsh, Fox Sports in Australia

INSIDE THE MIND OF A YOUNG ICON CHASING TENNIS HISTORY
Based on new interviews with those closest to him - including coaches, friends, old teachers and other villagers - Being Carlos Alcaraz offers fresh insights into a tennis phenomenon. From a modest apartment above a kebab shop in the village of El Palmar to glory on the sport's biggest stages, this captivating book traces Alcaraz's emergence and contrasts his story against the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.

Grit. Joy. Swagger. Belief. The dark moments between the smiles. The tears. The broken racquets. The tension of wanting to be a normal young man while aspiring to tennis greatness. Being Carlos Alcaraz delves into the emotional and cultural forces that have shaped a modern icon - one destined to redefine tennis for years to come.©2025 Mark Hodgkinson (P)2025 Octopus Publishing Group Sports Sports History Tennis Heartfelt

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All stars
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Loved the story but the narrator’s monosyllabic presentation and mispronouncing names was really annoying. Shame as his story is facinating

Annoying narrator

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Some issues with audio (narrator repeating the same phrase again, audio quality changing suddenly for a sentence)

Narrator uses eg a Spanish accent etc for foreign names but does not say all of them correctly, some pronounced completely wrong but with full confidence..

Quite good book - lots of new info mixed in with lots of old info if you're a big tennis fan!

Hardly anything about Jannik Sinner despite an important rivalry.

Quite good

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Carlos Alcaraz is a global phenomenon, so writing about him can be lucrative. However, writing a whole book about him might best be limited to those who actually know him. Obviously, there really is a man behind that smile. A man as real as you and me. In this book, we don't get to know him.

Please forgive the ironic undertone, but a summary of this book might be: Carlitos is a great guy; his team consists of great guys, his family is great, his school is great, his classmates and friends were and are great, his sponsors are great, and his tennis is, of course, great. That may all be true, please don't get me wrong, but in this book, we learn nothing about the man "behind" the smile. It doesn't even feel as if the author tried.

On top of that, I'm sorry to say, the book feels drawn-out (including the narration). The little there is, get's repeated again and again. Disappointing.

This review is by no means criticism of Carlos Alcaraz or anybody in his environment. Chances are, he really is an exceptionally great guy on top of being an amazing tennis player. Plus that it might be a good thing nothing new or personal was revealed in this book, as everybody has the right to some degree of privacy - tennis stars included. But please don't sell a book under false pretences.

Repetitive, no new insights

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