Carlos Alcaraz recently won his third Grand Slam trophy at the 2024 Roland Garros, but his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, wants him to remain calmer during matches.
Alcaraz didn't come into tennis as this supreme talent who was going to take over the ATP Tour. He was a fairly talented player who was expected to achieve a lot, but he took the Tour by storm in his first year among the professionals.
He became the youngest world number one after winning the US Open at 19 and added another Grand Slam trophy a year later. Beating legend Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final was certainly proof that he was the real deal.
He's now up to three major trophies after winning the 2024 Roland Garros, and the hype is building. Very few people doubt Alcaraz and his bold claims about wanting to be the best player ever.
However, with all of that comes great responsibility. It's not easy to handle the pressure and the spotlight, and that's why his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, preaches calmness. It's easy to get caught up in all of that and lose focus, which is what the Spanish coach wants him to avoid.
"The Grand Slams are obviously one of our goals. Whatever the tournament, Carlos will be one of the favorites. He must remain relaxed so that this status does not weigh too much on him and so that he can continue to play his wonderful tennis."
So far, Alcaraz has done pretty well overall with that, but he hasn't been perfect. He's allowed pressure to get the better of him a few times, most notably at last year's Roland Garros, where he cramped against Djokovic, effectively losing the semi-final because of that.
It's a learning process for every young player and with Ferrero at the helm, he's in really good hands. On top of being nervous sometimes, Alcaraz also struggles to keep the same level throughout the match, and that's another thing that the 44-year-old wants him to work on.
"He hasn't reached his peak, we are far from it. We are trying to find the mental stability that he lacks of, so that he can maintain a very high level in a whole match. It will come with experience. We keep working on this."
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