Rick Macci, a former coach of Serena Williams, has said that he believes
Carlos Alcaraz's defeat in the semi-finals of this year's
US Open was "the best thing ever" for his career.
At just 20 years old, Alcaraz has already experienced great success in the sport, with two Grand Slam titles to his name and 36 weeks as World No. 1. However, his recent appearance at the US Open held some disappointment in store.
Alcaraz entered the New York major as the defending champion but fell short of holding onto his title this time around after he suffered a shock defeat to third seed Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final. The Spaniard also lost his position as No. 1 in the ATP Ranking when 24-time Grand Slam champion
Novak Djokovic overtook him by over 3,000 points to extend his record 390 weeks at the top.
Macci says disappointment in New York will "fuel" Alcaraz
However, well-known coach Macci took to social media recently to suggest that Alcaraz's defeat at Flushing Meadows could provide him with the motivation to come back strong next season and even dominate the Grand Slams.
"The best thing ever for @carlosalcaraz was losing in the semis of the U.S OPEN. That painful stinging feeling will be a Priceless New York Gold Nugget in his back pocket for life and will IGNITE the Spanish Magician to bust through the Door and maybe grab 3 Slams in 2024," he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This comes after the 68-year-old praised Alcaraz in a recent interview, saying that the young talent could take the sport to a new level.
"Anything’s possible, especially in men’s tennis, because if someone’s serving big and hitting the corners, you get into a tie-breaker, anything’s possible.
"But he’s the leader in the clubhouse. And barring injury, this guy can go places that maybe we’ve never seen in the game of tennis. Anything’s possible with this guy," he said.
However, in order to dominate next season, Alcaraz will have to succeed in his rivalry against Djokovic, which is no easy feat. The 36-year-old has won three out of four majors this season, although Alcaraz showed the tennis world that he was able to beat him when he took the victory at Wimbledon after a five-set battle.