Carlos Alcaraz loves working with his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, whom he considers a second father, but at times, he also feels restrained by him.
One of the first things people often mention about Alcaraz when they speak about him is his big, bright smile when he's on the tennis court. That smile is parked on his face almost during the whole duration of a tennis match, and it's because he loves to play the sport.
Tennis, for him, is a job, but in name only. The four-time major winner has a huge passion for the sport, and every second spent playing tennis makes him the happiest person in the world.
It's not that common in the tennis world because, for most, it becomes a job that requires athletes to be quite serious about what they do. Not for Alcaraz, who looks like a kid having the time of his life out there, which is why so many fans are drawn to him.
He's fun to watch, but sometimes, he takes that fun a bit too far. Maybe not too far when it comes to the entertainment of the fans, but too far regarding his chances of winning.
There has been a lot of talk about him going for spectacular shots a bit too much, especially when the moment doesn't require him to do so. When he plays really on point and serious, he's like a machine out there, but that's not him inherently.
He likes to have fun, but his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, wants to tone that down, and that makes the youngster feel a bit restrained, as he revealed in a recent interview with ABC.
"Many times I feel more restrained than I should because of him. Because of what might happen to me later. Yes, I notice it, yes. Every time I do one of those shots that are not supposed to be taken, the ones for fun, sometimes I don't even look at it because I know that he's going to give me a slap from the box."
Ferrero has tremendous respect around the ATP Tour for being a consummate professional his entire career. He was the World No. 1 player at one point in his tennis career, which shows true dedication because getting there takes a lot of discipline.
It doesn't simply happen, and in many ways, it's great for Alcaraz, who needs that counterbalance. They have been working together for several years now, and it's been a wonderful partnership that saw Alcaraz win four Grand Slams before turning 22.
It simply works despite them possibly having different views of different things. He further discussed his shot selection, explaining why he tends to choose some of those crazy shots.
"Sometimes I have to go for the effective one rather than the other options. Sometimes I do it because I feel so nervous and it’s the kind of thing that relaxes me."
"Because I’ve got a smile on my face doing disaster sometimes. In that moment I was feeling really calm. I was feeling that I can do these kind of shots."
Still, it has certainly not negatively impacted the Spaniard's career so far. He finds a good balance so that both his inner child and his coach, Ferrero, are happy with the end result.