The coach of Carlos Alcaraz has acknowledged that the Spaniard needs to grow up after falling to Novak Djokovic on Saturday night. In their most lopsided encounter to date, the world No. 1 defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 in the ATP Finals semi-final. Juan Carlos Ferrero also thinks that Alcaraz lost to Djokovic because of his mental state.
Djokovic put an end to Alcaraz’s 2023 campaign as they renewed their rivalry in Turin. With a spot in the ATP Finals on the line, the two squared off for the fifth time. In contrast to their thrilling previous meetings, which included two exciting finals at Wimbledon and Cincinnati that required a final set, Saturday’s match was easily won by Djokovic in just 88 minutes.
In their rivalry, it was the first time a match finished in straight sets. And Alcaraz’s coach has now clarified why the 20-year-old wasn’t able to compete against the world number one this time. He said: “Having Djokovic’s level requires spending many hours playing on this type of court. It is not an excuse, but the fact that the court is so fast has not benefited us. We had very rarely played in this type of situation against such good people.”
Ferrero acknowledged that Alcaraz struggled to play on a quick indoor court and that his mentality prevented him from playing his best tennis. Ferrero further added: “His mental level has meant that his tennis level is not there. With two mistakes, the game is over. You have to improve on what it means to be a professional all the time. These are things for a 20-year-old kid and he has to mature. There are three hours of training on the court and then there is the rest of the day outside of it. You have to do things when you have to, train when you have to, have fun when you have to, and disconnect when you have to.”
Carlos Alcaraz says he was frustrated after a point where he played his best tennis & still lost it:
“Well, it was an unbelievable point. I would say I couldn't play this point better. Even with that, I lost it. It's a little bit of frustration for me to play my best tennis in… pic.twitter.com/F9uClqHaAV
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 18, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
WLWLLWLWWW At the moment ranked no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 18th of November when he surrendered to world no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This year Alcaraz has managed to achieve a composed 65-12 match record. The Spaniard has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz was the finalist in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWWWWLWW Currently ranked no.1, Novak played his last match on the 19th of November when he overcame world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-3 in the final in the Nitto ATP Finals to win his 98th career title.
Currently, during this season Djokovic achieved an overall 55-6 win-loss record. Novak clinched 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. Novak was the runner-up in Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic fought against each other 5 times. Their current head to head is 3-2 for Djokovic. Previously, the last time they fought against each other, Novak Djokovic won 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 18th of November 2023.
Here the video highlights.
