In his young career, Carlos Alcaraz has earned a reputation for being a crowd-pleaser due to his swashbuckling and highly intense style of tennis.
Alcaraz combines power and panache, finesse and fitness to delight the fans whenever he plays. It's not a surprise that tennis fans have warmly embraced his playing style, which has been very successful so far, earning him two Grand Slams along with other significant titles.
But World No. 8 Casper Ruud did not hold back from what can be termed as constructive criticism when expounded on Alcaraz's game. Ruud has played the Spaniard four times on tour, most recently at the China Open at the start of October, and is adept at sharing an opinion from what he has seen. Alcaraz currently leads their head-to-head 4-0.
The 20-year-old is not just a typical baseliner. He's incorporated a versatile approach into his game. He is synonymous with playing the drop shot better than anybody on the current roster. Alcaraz's forearm strength and excellent footwork enable him to find the most spectacular shots from anywhere on the court.
Ruud believes Alcaraz is "more mature" and "stronger" physically. While he criticized his peer for going for "almost too much" in his approach shots, he stated that has learned to adapt and modify some aspects of his game like cutting down on fanciful shots.
"I think he’s more mature. He seems a little bigger, a little stronger physically. Obviously, he plays so aggressive and so great, but sometimes it seems like he might beat himself a little. He goes for almost too much, at least in my eyes."
"I am not going to criticise him any more than this, because he's a great player. But sometimes when you hit all these crazy shots, it's kind of tempting to go for an even crazier one. But I think he's understood that most matches won’t be won by playing crazy shot after crazy shot."
"It’s more about stability, and I think he’s playing more calmly than before, and that can be dangerous when you have the strength and power combined with the cleverness on court we’ve seen this year. It’s a great combo."
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