Hard work never goes in vain, it is often said. Another glaring example is Carlos Alcaraz. The Spanish sensation fell just short of clinching the gold medal after losing a close match against Novak Djokovic. Although Alcaraz was the favorite going into the contest, Djokovic pulled out his A-game to win his maiden gold medal at the Olympics. After losing against Djokovic, Alcaraz got emotional at not winning the gold medal. However, his efforts have been recognized by the Spanish Olympic Committee.

Per La 7, a Spanish television channel, the Spanish Olympic Committee will organize a sports gala to honor the medallists at the Paris Olympics, later today. The ceremony, which will start at 7:00 PM, will reward the best athletes of 2024, along with the players who won medals in Paris. Alcaraz will be honored with the COE medal for his achievement of winning the silver metal at the Olympics earlier this year.

The ceremony is set to take place in the headquarters of the Spanish Olympic Committee in Madrid. Spain won a total of 18 medals: 5 gold, 5 silver, and 9 bronze at the Paris Olympic Games. Athletes like Paris Jordan Díaz (triple jump), María Pérez, and Álvaro Martín (mixed relay walk) are set to attend the event apart from Alcaraz. Additionally, some bigwigs like the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, have also confirmed their presence at the event.

The moment of Alcaraz getting emotional after his loss against Djokovic went viral all over the internet. Explaining how he felt after losing the Olympic final, Alcaraz revealed, “It was a different type of pressure. Everyone in Spain wanted me to win the gold, and I wanted to win the gold as well. In those difficult moments, I usually raise my level, but I wasn’t able to do that today.”

Nonetheless, Alcaraz still has the best years ahead of him and he’ll have many shots at winning the gold medal in the future. Ahead of the next season, American legend, Andy Roddick, gave a piece of important advice to Alcaraz.

Andy Roddick wants Carlos Alcaraz to choose tournaments carefully

This year, Alcaraz had a hectic schedule, and he also suffered from a few injury setbacks. Being one of the top players in the world, it becomes extremely important for Alcaraz to schedule his calendar efficiently. Even former US Open champion, Roddick felt that the Spaniard needs to play in a select few tournaments next year.

During the Served podcast, Roddick mentioned, “He’s fully aware of what he is now. He’s one of the biggest global sports stars we have, he’s the celebrity in the room amongst sports celebrities. I think people are thirsty to see him, thirsty to watch him. He’s sort of at the point where he doesn’t want to disappoint anyone, and that’s a tough situation, it really is. He’s going to have to learn how to schedule, how to say no, maybe slightly disappoint someone, sometimes to keep his sanity over time.”

The young Spaniard is already following Roddick’s advice and he will not play any tournament before the Australian Open, a major which he is yet to win. Can Alcaraz win his maiden Australian Open title next year? Let us know your views in the comments below.