Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, admitted that the 21-year-old ignored some of his advice during the French Open final. Despite this, Alcaraz managed to lift his third Grand Slam title after a dramatic five-set victory against Alexander Zverev.
The final was tense, with Alcaraz requiring the physio’s attention due to the strain of the match. Ferrero shared his perspective on the sidelines, saying, “I mean when you’re in the chair you’re suffering so much more than if you’re playing. So yeah, today was one of those matches that you’re suffering all the time.” Alcaraz’s performance fluctuated during the match, and Ferrero noted that his player did not fully adhere to their pre-match strategy. “I saw Carlos a little bit up and down suffering too much, not doing all the things that we’ve been talking [about] in the locker room. But at the end I don’t know how he could resist with the physical problems that we had but at the end, win the trophy.”
Ferrero observed that Alcaraz faced mental challenges, adding, “It seems to me that sometimes he wants to play too good, he doesn’t need to play all the time that incredible level that he wants to. Sometimes he needs to slow down a little bit and put two more [balls in] and then maybe go to the net to dropshot but then come back.” He emphasized the importance of maintaining mental stability throughout the match, suggesting that Alcaraz’s inconsistency created unnecessary opportunities for his opponent.
The third set posed a particular challenge for Alcaraz, who seemed to lose control. Ferrero speculated that the young player might have needed to let go of the set to reset his mindset. “I really don’t know what happened in the third set because it seemed to me that it was all under control. But in the end he got too much tension in his legs and in his arm and thought too much about winning the match. And if he needed to lose that set to start over and stay calm and start to play his real level.”
Interestingly, Ferrero previously coached Zverev, Alcaraz’s opponent. He left Zverev’s team in 2018 and began working with Alcaraz when he was just 16. Reflecting on his journey with Alcaraz, Ferrero remarked, “Yeah it’s amazing all the journey that we’ve been through. It was nice for me, it was different goal than I maybe had with Sascha that I worked with a long time ago with Carlos it’s different because we started since the real beginning and I had the opportunity to create something from inside and he had the potential and he showed that.”
Despite the deviations from their planned strategy, Alcaraz’s resilience and Ferrero’s guidance ultimately led to a triumphant outcome at Roland Garros.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
LWWWWWWWWL Now the world no.3, Carlos played his last match on the 9th of June when he overcame world no.4 Alexander Zverev 6-3 2-6 5-7 6-1 6-2 in the final of the French Open to win his 15th career title.
Currently, during this season the Spaniard owns an overall 25-5 win-loss record. Alcaraz clinched 2 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells and French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz |
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