Patrick McEnroe thinks ‘this’ has caused a lot of trouble for Carlos Alcaraz in recent times
Carlos Alcaraz is bidding to win his second title of the year at the Monte Carlo Masters following the Rotterdam Open.
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Carlos Alcaraz, Patrick McEnroe (Image via X/SuperTennisTV, ESPN Press Room)
Carlos Alcaraz lifted four titles the previous season, two of which were the French Open and Wimbledon. He was inconsistent throughout the season and was expected to produce consistent performances this year but so far, nothing has changed.
He has lifted just one title in the season- the Rotterdam Open, and for the first time since 2021, he played a clay-court tournament without winning at Indian Wells or the Miami Open. Amid his struggles to play consistent tennis, Patrick McEnroe analyzed his game and found out what was wrong with the Spaniard.
The guys that win Majors are somewhat predictable when it really counts. But Alcaraz has moved a little bit away from that. He’s an amazing shot-maker with a level of athleticism that’s just off the charts. That has hurt him in the last nine months. In that sense, he’s too much of a shot-maker. He hits his way into trouble.
Patrick McEnroe told Tennis Channel
Alcaraz is in Monte Carlo, participating in the first clay-court Masters 1000 of the season. In his first match, he came from a set down to beat Francisco Cerundolo but breezed past Daniel Altmaier 6-3, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals of the event for the first time.
He has made his second appearance in The Principality following the 2022 season as he skipped the last two editions due to injuries. In 2022, Sebastian Korda halted his progress by beating him in his first match.
Alcaraz will next lock horns with Arthur Fils who knocked out 2023 Monte Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev. The four-time Grand Slam champion has never faced the Frenchman in his career before. Last year on the clay swing, Alcaraz won just the French Open. He came close to winning the Paris Olympics gold medal but the result of the thrilling final didn’t come out in his favor.
Andy Roddick shares what’s so crazy about Carlos Alcaraz
Andy Roddick recalled the time before the Big 3 era when greats of the game like Pete Sampras used to make early exits many times. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have retired and Novak Djokovic is struggling to win matches (lost to Alejandro Tabilo in his Monte Carlo Masters opener).
Now it’s time for youngsters like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to achieve great results. But because of Alcaraz’s inconsistent performances, he has been told by critics to change his coaching team. Roddick is not of the same opinion.
He [Sampras] just would, he’d win one or two majors a year instead of three, we have to reset expectations. Carlos Alcaraz already has more majors than Andy Murray, he’s halfway towards icons like [Jimmy] Connors, [Andre] Agassi, it’s absurd what he’s done and we need to reset a little bit. Anyone calling for a coaching change doesn’t know anything about coaching.
Andy Roddick told Tennis Channel
Alcaraz has been working with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero since 2019. Under the 2003 French Open champion, the 21-year-old lifted four Grand Slam titles and became the World No.1. At present, he sits in the third position with 6,920 points in the live rankings.
The Murcia native lifted his career’s first Major at the 2022 US Open, then denied Novak Djokovic his Calendar Grand Slam by securing a five-set victory at 2023 Wimbledon. Alcaraz then emerged victorious at the French Open and Wimbledon last year.
Alcaraz, however, has not yet achieved the Career Grand Slam. He has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. This year at Melbourne Slam, Alcaraz suffered a four-set defeat to the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
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