World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz has conceded there’s one aspect of his game that’s holding him back. The tennis titan has excelled to claim his place as part of the ATP Tour‘s new elite but is still desperate to improve, despite winning two major titles in 2024.
Alcaraz, 21, successfully defended his Wimbledon crown after adding French Open gold to his trophy cabinet. But what could be interpreted as a strength is also a weakness, according to the player himself. That being the Spaniard’s inclination to “play by instinct” rather than sticking to a certain structure in any given match. Alcaraz has been hailed for his rare athleticism and ability to cover the court, but that intense approach can end up working against him. “Sometimes it has happened to me that when I’m winning a match, and I’m feeling good, I lower the intensity and end up losing,” he said at a recent press event. “I’ve learned a lot from that.
“I think that many times I play by instinct in the important moments. I do what I feel, and that’s not good. Maybe you have to follow a strategy.”
One can understand why the youngster might struggle to maintain the same levels of vigour he tends to display at the start of his matches. Youth hasn’t been a hinderance to the player thus far in his career, having won his first major title when he was just 19, but that lack of experience can have its drawbacks.
Alcaraz has been described as a complete blend of tennis’ ‘Big Three’, combining elements of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic‘s game all at once. Djokovic himself suggested the prospect has “basically [the] best of all three worlds” after losing to Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final.
However, he could perhaps do with taking more inspiration from the oldest among that trio, Federer, whose game was arguably the most cerebral of the bunch. Like the Swiss superstar, Alcaraz prefers to sit from the baseline while combining aggressive net play and boasts a wide arsenal of shot variation.
But Federer was also brutally consistent in his work and rarely allowed standards to slip. It’s perhaps here that Alcaraz has room to develop, at least by his own admission.
It was at the Australian Open at the start of this year that he went a set up against Djokovic before giving up three straight sets to bow out at the Serb’s hands. However, he’ll look to make up for that slip when he defends his French Open crown at Roland Garros next month.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk