Carlos Alcaraz and Nick Kyrgios might not have many similarities, but one thing is in common, according to former ATP player Mats Wilander, and that's people's expectations.
Athletes, and tennis players specifically, have to deal with expectations. Fair or not, they're going to be part of their career most of the time, and while for most, it's the expectations of winning, for some, it's more than that.
Kyrgios arrived on the ATP Tour as this flashy tennis player who is both good and a walking highlight reel. With that came expectations, and when he failed to deliver that consistently, criticism.
Alcaraz is dealing with a similar thing, according to former player Wilander, who spoke to Eurosport. He's gotten people used to not only great tennis but highlight plays, and it's just not realistic for that to happen in every match he plays.
"Carlos Alcaraz is dealing with something that maybe Nick Kyrgios had to deal with at times, which is people are expecting more of Carlos Alcaraz than just winning tennis matches. They are expecting him to hit great shots, to make these unbelievable saves defensively and then turn it around."
Those expectations are not something he'll ever get rid of because they're out of his control. People will show up to matches with their preconceived notions about what will happen, and Wilander thinks it could get a bit tiring.
Kyrgios has spoken about it, though Alcaraz is quite different from him, so we'll see how he handles it. He did dismiss expectations before.
"I think for him, it's going to be quite tiring throughout a whole career to always feel like not only does he have to win, but he does feel like I have to perform in the entertainment part. I think falling out of the top two, it's most probably a little bit of a relief."
0 Comments