Carlos Alcaraz did not entirely follow the blueprint that his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, gave him before he won the Roland Garros final.
Ferrero, a former Roland Garros champion himself 21 years ago, was made to "suffer" because Alcaraz endured a similar fate on the court against Alexander Zverev when he let slip a 5-2 lead in the third set of an engrossing final.
After battling a mild cramp and complaining to the chair umpire over the state of the court, the 21-year-old completed a terrific turnaround to win the fourth and fifth sets convincingly.
The 44-year-old tennis coach is often a vocal man from the stands, shouting instructions to his pupil. But the oddest thing about watching Sunday's final was that Ferrero was glued to his seat and remained silent for three-quarters of the match.
Now that the dust has settled, Ferrero spoke to Eurosport, where he admitted to being nervy watching the match. He felt that Alcaraz was not executing the game plan he had discussed with him in the locker room before the match, and he is still mystified that he overcame his physical issues to lift the title.
"Today was one of those matches that you're suffering all the time because I saw Carlos (Alcaraz) a little bit up and down, suffering too much, not doing all the things we've been talking in the locker room. But at the end I don't know how he could resist with the physical problems that he had and at the end, win the trophy."
Ferrero opined that Alcaraz is sometimes a victim of his own success because he wants to achieve perfection at every point. He advised him to tone down a bit and stay patient with his point construction.
"It seems to me that sometimes he wants to play too good. He doesn't need to play all the time that incredible level he wants to. Sometimes, he needs to slow down a little bit, put two more, and then maybe go to the net, drop shot, but then come back, and stay more time, at the top level, mentally. Sometimes he's up and down and creates opportunities for the others that he doesn't need to."
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