2024-01-11 22:53:00
He had gotten used to being the center of attention. Or at least to share it with Novak Djokovic in 2023. But Carlos Alcaraz has been relatively discreet in recent weeks. First, because unlike the majority of players, he has not officially launched his 2024 season. Neither at the United Cup nor involved in an ATP 250 preparation tournament, he has decided to start directly at the Australian Open (January 14-28 on Eurosport). Then because it must be admitted, the great return to competition of his illustrious compatriot Rafael Nadal has overshadowed him a little.
The fact remains that the Mallorcan finally forfeits the first round of the Grand Slam, and all eyes are once once more mainly on him, at least in Spain. However, a question inevitably arises: where is “Carlitos”? Since his dry defeat in the semi-final of the Turin Masters (6-3, 6-2) almost two months ago, he has no longer played a high-stakes match. Just two exhibitions once morest Djokovic once more and Roberto Bautista Agut in December, and another unofficial duel on Wednesday lost once morest Alex de Minaur in the super tie-break (6-4, 5-7, 10-3) on the Rod Laver Arena.
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Sharpen your weapons and find freshness
Alcaraz’s benchmarks a few days before the first Major of the year are therefore vague to say the least. So how can we explain this choice? “It’s a tough decision where to start the year. In my opinion, what they’ve tried to do is gain muscle mass and also improve some shots to get back on the tour a a little bit more ready than last year, estimates Alex Corretja, consultant for Eurosport. The difficulty is that you know you have to progress, but you didn’t have much time to put things in place because the season ends late.”
In other words, the Murcian consciously decided to maximize his working time, he favored the substance of the game over the form of raw results. The awareness of the gap – not to say the gulf – which separated him from the world number 1 in Turin undoubtedly weighed, as did the need to regain mental and physical freshness. Moreover, he is not the only one to have made this bet since neither Jannik Sinner, who ended 2023 with a bang with a final at the Masters and a triumph in the Davis Cup, nor Daniil Medvedev were seen either in competition, three of the four best in the world.
“It’s true that it’s not usual not to play tournaments before the Australian Open, but I think that as the tournament progresses, Carlos will find his cruising speed,” explains Alex Corretja. He and his team surely hope that the table will offer him opponents who will allow him to find that rhythm of the competition which he has lacked in recent weeks. And at the same time, it shows that he has a lot of confidence in himself to attack the season directly in the Grand Slam. I think they made the right decision but you never know: if he has good results, we will say that it was great preparation, and if not, that he lack of matches.”
Ferrero likes to guide him, but it’s time for Carlos to assert himself
But in Melbourne where he has never been in the second week yet – 3rd round in 2022 and withdrawal last year – Carlos Alcaraz is faced with another major challenge: winning without his mentor Juan Carlos Ferrero. The former winner of Roland-Garros, who maintains a close relationship with his protégé, recently underwent knee surgery which prevented him from traveling to Australia. Accompanied by Samuel Lopez, a member of the Ferrero academy in Valencia for many years, the world number 2 will not be alone but a bit of an orphan.
“Ferrero likes to guide him a little bit, but all the information that Ferrero has given him in recent years, he knows how to use it, nuance Alex Corretja. Samuel comes from the Ferrero academy, so I don’t see where he might there be a problem. I also think that it is the right time for Carlos to assert himself and to know that if Juan Carlos is not there, it is not a big problem because he has gained in maturity . He has more experience now.”
In short, it might be a blessing in disguise. During his more complicated end to the 2023 post-Wimbledon season, Alcaraz relied a lot on Ferrero’s incessant interventions during his matches. This gave him some tactical indications but above all tried to reassure a less confident player. Concerned by his inability to find solutions, particularly once morest Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final of the US Open, the Murcian will thus be faced with his responsibilities in Australia.
“He will have to make decisions for example in a match when he is down 2-4 in the last set: ‘Where do I serve? Juan Carlos, tell me… Oh he is not there, I have to choose myself’, finally adds our other elite consultant Mats Wilander. And if he makes the right choice without a voice to prompt him, suddenly the confidence grows, much more than if he had been told what to do and it had market. In the long term, you need a coach you can trust, but in the short term, you can also take steps in the learning process without a coach.”
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