Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, feels the Spaniard has not yet reached his full potential as he tasted French Open victory against Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old had traded the last five Grand Slam titles of offer with the young Italian before they met on the clay of Roland Garros in Sunday’s final.
What transcended was an instant classic. Sinner took the first set by a scrappy 6-4, and the second needed a tiebreak, with the 23-year-old prevailing again. Alcaraz clapped back in the third, winning it 6-4. The fourth set was where Sinner looked set to take the title, leading 5-3 with three championship points. However, his opponent battled back, much to the amazement of those in the Court Philippe-Chatrier crowd. Alcaraz won the fourth in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7-3) and retained his French Open title after five hours and 29 minutes with a 7-6 (10-2) final set win, much to the dismay of his adversary.
It seems likely that both will continue to battle at the ATP’s summit for some time, though the defeated Sinner was warned by Ferrero before Sunday’s final that the Grand Slam-winning Alcaraz is not yet done improving.
“For two years, we’ve known that if Sinner kept going like this, he’d be number one. Carlos sees his stratospheric consistency, and that motivates him. Alcaraz has a potential we have not yet seen,” Ferrero told reporters after Alcaraz’s quarter-final win against Tommy Paul.
“The two feed off each other. He [Alcaraz] matures each year; it’s a law of life. From 2024 to now, you can notice it a bit more on court, in the way he reacts to problems. Before, he was a bit more emotional. Now he still has some tantrums, but they are small problems on court, like any player has, and he handles them better.
“And these very good players have more victories than defeats, but if he has problems, he solves them. For a long time, we have been trying to work with him so that he has clear routines, so that he knows what to do if there are problems.
“That is what we try to do so that he feels confident to talk about the match or whatever it is, so that he knows we are there. If he plays forward, without pressure, he’s really extraordinary.”
While both Alcaraz and Sinner are open to improvement, being 22 and 23, respectively, Ferrero’s warning may send shivers down the Italian’s spine. He has already been beaten by his Spanish foe the last five times they’ve faced off.
One area that Alcaraz has already seen marked improvement in is his serve, and the 22-year-old’s coach has pinpointed his monstrous forehand as another stroke that could be bolstered.
“Improving it [his serve] gives him confidence, although we still need to constantly improve and evolve, just like with other strokes,” continued Ferrero. “Sometimes his forehand wraps too much and we want it more direct; for his backhand, we want more height, also ensuring his drop shot doesn’t stay in the net. But serving helps all players.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk