According to tennis coach Boris Becker, Carlos Alcaraz has not improved as much as other players in the second half of 2023.
Despite ending the season ranked second in the world with six titles, Alcaraz could not secure a title following his historic victory at Wimbledon.
He lost to Djokovic in the ATP Finals final four, which marked the end of his season, and Becker claims that his failures highlight the difficulty of being the greatest in the world.
Becker expressed his thoughts in an interview and said: “Why is that? Dueling with Djokovic, becoming no. 1 in the world and winning Wimbledon for the first time – maintaining this level is the most difficult thing in tennis. Anyone can have a good tournament or a good year from time to time, but maintaining that level over the years is the real challenge.”
He further added: “My favourite saying in this context is: ‘The locker room never sleeps’. It means that the other players have realised how you have to play against Alcaraz to have a chance against him. That’s what happened. Other players have developed and Alcaraz hasn’t.”
In contrast, Becker thought Alcaraz would respond when it came to his expectations for 2024. He predicted that in order to mount a significant challenge in Melbourne in January, Alcaraz would look to make some kind of coaching change during the off-season.
Alcaraz is among the most entertaining players on the circuit, so the German thinks he’s great for tennis. Becker concluded his discussion and said: “He continues to play fantastic tennis. I love watching him play tennis at its best with his footwork, his variation, his serve, and his forehand. But the top players have adapted to this and know how to counter it. I’m convinced that Alcaraz will now train something new or different with Juan Carlos Ferrero in the winter and improve. Their task is to further develop his strengths. And I’m also convinced that we’ll see a very strong Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open 2024.”
Boris Becker says other players have figured out how to play Carlos Alcaraz:
Duelling with Djokovic, becoming No. 1 in the world and winning Wimbledon for the first time – maintaining this level is the most difficult thing in tennis. Anyone can have a good tournament or a good… pic.twitter.com/s0eqzUeVNy
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 26, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
WLWLLWLWWW Ranked world no.2, the Spaniard played his last match on the 18th of November when he was defeated by world no.1 Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-2 in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
At present, during this year the Spaniard owns a composed 65-12 match record. Alcaraz clinched 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Carlos reached the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
