Rory McIlroy looks to channel Carlos Alcaraz's joy and instinct heading into 2023 Masters 

Like many of his tennis peers, Carlos Alcaraz enjoys opportunities to hit the links when time permits. While he may not be PGA ready today, the 19-year-old’s approach to his day job on the ATP Tour has inspired one fellow major champion to evaluate his own mindset.

As he heads into this week’s Masters looking to become just the sixth man to win all four of golf’s modern majors, Rory McIlroy is taking inspiration from the captivating, cheerful attitude Alcaraz exudes when he competes—and speaks.

“Carlos says his aim is always to play with ‘joy and instinct’. That’s fantastic isn’t it?” McIlroy said in an interview with the Telegraph. “Listen to that—‘joy and instinct’. What a lovely, beautiful and very plain ambition to have.

"It is what every kid has when they first play a sport and what invariably then gets lost when the really good ones progress and turn professional. The joy goes. The instinct gets lost.”

A lot of what he says sticks with me. —Rory McIlroy on Carlos Alcaraz

McIlroy, who shared he’s been reading the Spaniard’s interviews, praised Alcaraz’s ability to not get caught up in striving to become a 2.0 version of any Big Three member. Instead, the 2022 US Open champion has embraced how the sport can be competitive and enjoyable at the same time, a perspective the now 33-year-old wants to see himself channel more.

“Alcaraz is not trying to be the new Federer or new Nadal or new Djokovic. He is just trying to play tennis as he wants to, but also to the best of his ability in a way that the fans will love,” said McIlroy. “He talks of not making everything monotonous and life being more fun that way and his tennis being more fun to watch.

“Of course, you need your structure and to put in the hours and to grind and be ‘professional’, but you should not lose sight that this is a privilege and the moments should be enjoyed. There’s so much more to it than winning, although, of course, that’s what you yearn for. And maybe just relishing in the moment was why I acted like I did on the 18th last year at Augusta.”

McIlroy is looking to claim his first major since the 2014 PGA Championship. A year ago at the Masters, he shot a final round 64, an effort that propelled the former No. 1 to a runner-up finish for the first time in Augusta, Ga.