Renowned tennis coach Boris Becker is optimistic that Carlos Alcaraz’s injury and fitness issues will soon be over, saying that difficulties with growth are a natural part of the game for young players.
Despite the opinion of some that Alcaraz’s form has declined this year after an outstanding 2022 campaign, the Spaniard is coming off of yet another extremely successful season in which he finished at No. 2 in the ATP Rankings and won five titles, including his second Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
However, the 20-year-old missed some events because of injuries. He had to withdraw from the Australian Open at the beginning of the year because of a hamstring injury he had while training. He also missed the Mexican Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters, and the Swiss Indoors Basel because of different aches and pains.
Becker notes that early-career setbacks are normal for young players. In a recent interview, Becker talked about Alcaraz and his fitness and said: “When motivation weakens, the body also suffers. If you skip one or two training sessions, that’s what happened to me. It’s happened to every successful 20-year-old.”
Becker is optimistic that Alcaraz and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, will eventually devise a training routine and playing schedule that’s right for the emerging talent.
Becker added: “I am convinced, with Carlos Ferrero at his side, that Carlos is going into the winter break highly motivated and is looking forward to Melbourne and the new season. We’ll have to see what happens. I saw him live in Turin at the ATP Finals, also in training. He was physically fit. I’m convinced that the two of them will come up with the right solution. Nobody likes to be injured. The question is, what are you missing? Will you get back to training sessions where you can strengthen your back or thighs? But Juan Carlos and Carlos know exactly how to do that.”
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
WLWLLWLWWW At the moment ranked no.2, Alcaraz 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).
Currently, during this season Carlos owns a 65-12 record. The Spaniard has won 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. The Spaniard reached the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Alcaraz is scheduled to play next at the Australian Open (Australian Open). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 14th of January.
