Juan Carlos Ferrero is the mastermind behind the success of Carlos Alcaraz. The former Spanish tennis player was happy with the progress that his pupil has shown and acknowledged that he is not surprised by what he is achieving with everything and that he is only 19 years old.
“I think he was born for this type of tournament, for this type of match. Ever since I started working with him, I saw things that were different from kids his age. And I still see them when I see him play. He is a great competitor.
He never stops trying. We have been able to see it in his last matches, with (Marin) Cilic, (Jannik) Sinner or (Frances) Tiafoe, he never gives up”, commented the “mosquito” after Alcaraz’s defeat in the US Open final over Casper Ruud.
The former world number one ruled out being surprised to see Carlitos win his first Grand Slam title. “I know his level. Obviously, everything comes very fast. It may be a surprise to everyone except me, because I train with him every day and I know what he is capable of.
I was sure if it wasn’t this year, it could have been 2023. It’s been now, so very happy about it,” he explained. Finally, he spoke about the regularity that is now the goal in Alcaraz’s career: “I would love it.
The other day, I said in an interview that Sinner and Alcaraz can dominate the tour for the next 10 years because of the level they played at. There are more players, like Zverev, Thiem, Casper or Tsitsipas. With all due respect, that’s what I think.”
Do you think Carlos Alcaraz would have won the US Open with Novak Djokovic in the draw?
Alcaraz won the 2022 US Open on Sunday
Special consultant for the daily newspaper L’Équipe throughout the fortnight of the US Open, Mats Wilander tried to dissect what makes Carlos Alcaraz an already very special player.
And according to the Swede, the 19-year-old Spaniard is a combination of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. “Carlos is the product of Roger (Federer), Rafa (Nadal) and Novak (Djokovic). He grew up watching them on TV. He takes from Rafa the passion and love of competition.
He gets his artistic side from Roger, the drop shots, the serve and volley, etc. And he takes from Novak his flexibility and his quality of movement. I’m not sure he moves better than Novak, but he’s faster. Despite everything, his passion is different from that of Rafa: he fights with a smile.
We had never seen that! Maybe with Gustavo Kuerten, but differently… He tries more amortizations than any great player has ever tried. Truly, he is the product of a sport that belongs to Roger, Rafa and Novak. I thought Stefanos Tsitsipas could be that product. Carlos Alcaraz took it even further.”
