Spain’s young tennis star
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos
Ferrero has pointed out factors behind the world number two’s crushing defeat
to Serbia’s
Novak Djokovic in the
ATP Finals.
The duo faced off in the semifinal of the last major
tournament in 2023 in Italy’s city of Turin where the 36-year-old came out on
top in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Ferrero, while talking to the media after the match, pointed out
why Alcaraz has struggled against Djokovic in the recent past.
“Having Djokovic's level requires spending many hours
playing on this type of court,” he said. “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.
“His mental level has meant that his tennis level was not
there. With two mistakes the game is gone. You have to improve in what it means
to be a professional all the time. These are things for a 20-year-old kid and
he has to mature. To be a professional you have to control all areas.
“There are the three hours of training on the court and then
there is the rest of the day is 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.”
Earlier in the year, Alcaraz became the talk of the town
after beating Djokovic in the final at Wimbledon in a five-set thrilling
contest with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.
Following that win, Alcaraz has now suffered two back-to-back
defeats to the current world number one. Before losing in Turin, the
20-year-old suffered a defeat in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to Djokovic
with a score of 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.
