Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, loves watching Carlos Alcaraz but thinks his mentality and shot selection can be improved.
Some, such as John McEnroe, consider Alcaraz the most complete young player tennis has ever seen. The Spaniard is already a four-time Grand Slam champion and reached No. 1 in the rankings two years ago as a 19-year-old.
Alcaraz is also a fan favorite because of his exhilarating style of play that combines incredible athleticism and shot-making with a willingness to interact with the crowd and smile on the court.
However, during his short career, Alcaraz has yet to show those qualities at indoor tournaments. All 21 of his ATP finals have been outdoors, with a semifinal appearance at last year's ATP Finals the Spaniard's best indoor effort.
Those struggles continued in 2024. Alcaraz lost in the round of 16 at the Paris Masters to Ugo Humbert. Afterward, the 21-year-old criticized the court's speed, which was rated as the fastest in at least a decade on the ATP Tour.
Stubbs bluntly dismissed Alcaraz's complaints in an episode of her podcast. The Australian said most of the tennis calendar takes place on slow courts, and there should be events that reward players who thrive in faster conditions.
The courts at the ATP Finals are not as quick as those in Paris, but Alcaraz picked up an illness before the tournament began, which severely hindered him during a straight-sets loss to Casper Ruud in his opening match.
Worrying footage followed on Tuesday. Alcaraz stopped a practice session after ten minutes. He did not hit with any intensity during that period and eventually felt he could not continue.
Juan Carlos Ferrero updated afterward about his chances of being fit to play his second match against Andrey Rublev. But Stubbs feels the Spaniard's decision-making can be improved regardless of how he is feeling on the court.
In a post on Threads, Stubbs wrote that Alcaraz has a tendency for mental lapses during matches and also believes his shot selections against Ruud were not always correct. She also gave Ruud a humorous nickname while congratulating him on beating Alcaraz.
"Sometimes Carlos just doesn’t lock it down. He still has a tendency to go for a mental wander. Shots selections are questionable. Don’t worry, though, y’all."
"He’s still incredible and will win many, many majors, but on these faster courts, not getting free points on serve also hurts him. Anyway, well done the oatmeal stallion."
Stubbs, one of the most respected analysts in tennis, raises fair points. Despite his incredible success at such a young age, Alcaraz is more prone to experiencing dips during matches than the world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who remains consistently locked in.
However, that may be pretty scary for Alcaraz's rivals. If he corrects that issue, the two-time Wimbledon champion will get better and be even more challenging to stop. Sinner might be the only man who can consistently challenge the young star when that happens.
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