Tennis legend predicts that Carlos Alcaraz “is going to be quite inconsistent” in his career
World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz has failed to reach the final of US hard court tournaments since August last year.
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Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP/X)
Carlos Alcaraz’s run in US hard court tournaments since August has raised questions and several doubts. Before then, the Spaniard was flying high and winning titles on the surface but has now seemed to regress a little. This has led Tennis legend Mats Wilander to believe that the 21-year-old will be inconsistent for the entirety of his career.
Alcaraz has won only two titles since claiming the 2024 Wimbledon Championship. The Spaniard’s loss at the Paris Olympics final against Novak Djokovic seem to be the turning point of his career. Before that, he had won back-to-back Grand Slams and was even dubbed to overtake Rafael Nadal’s 22 majors title record.
But since then, he hasn’t won a Slam. At the Sunshine Double, he was tipped to win the Indian Wells and Miami Open, because Jannik Sinner was under suspension for his doping saga. He failed to use the opportunity, losing to Jack Draper in the semi-finals of Indian Wells before exiting the Miami Open in the second round.
During a conversation, Mats Wilander was asked about the inconsistencies Alcaraz has displayed on the court in recent months. The tennis legend revealed that the Spaniard can play extraordinarily well sometimes but will surely be an inconsistent player in his career.
I think Carlos Alcaraz is going through what Carlos Alcaraz will experience throughout his career: inconsistencies. He will produce miracles at times, and those miracles will help him win matches, but at other times, the miracles will not result in victory. Losing to Jack Draper, as it happened, is very unusual for an elite player. You don’t drop a set as easily. You don’t come back and win another as easily as in the first two sets. Losing 6-4 in the third set against Jack Draper is not a major issue. But I believe that, ultimately, Carlos Alcaraz will be quite inconsistent in terms of results. We are not used to seeing a former world number one, and probably a future number one, being so inconsistent.
Mats Wilander said via Eurosport
Alcaraz will hope to find his way back to form in the European clay season. The World No.3 will hope to up his game and find a way to reach the height he set in the first half of the 2024 season by winning a Grand Slam title this season.
Mats Wilander says players are beginning to lose the fear they have for Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has become more vulnerable this year and has lost matches he was high favorite to win. At the Qatar Open in February, he lost to Jiri Lehecka in the quarter-finals, despite leading 4-2 in the third set. During the aforementioned conversation, Mats Wilander revealed that the more Alcaraz continues to lose, the more at least five players will become confident of beating him.
I think every time Carlos Alcaraz loses a match, at least five players in the world say to themselves: ‘Okay, wait. If he can beat Alcaraz… well, I can beat him next’. I think it’s good for the locker room when Carlos Alcaraz loses because I believe that when facing Alcaraz, many players feel intimidated and think, ‘My goodness, this guy is so much better than me. I don’t think I have any chance of winning.’ But every time he loses, that green light turns on in the locker room telling you: ‘You’re ready. You have the chance to win this match today.’ And I think that’s the problem for Carlos Alcaraz.
Mats Wilander said
Alcaraz’s loss to David Goffin at the Miami Open was the most shocking defeat this season. The Spaniard’s serve didn’t quite click and his forehand was bad; even his signature drop shot failed to work.
Carlos Alcaraz’s run of form this season hasn’t been up to par
Carlos Alcaraz has only one title to celebrate this season after three months into the year. He was expected to have claimed more than that after Jannik Sinner was suspended for three months. The Spaniard reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open in January before claiming the Rotterdam Open.
After that, he failed to reach any tournament final. He exited the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open before reaching the semi-finals of the Indian Wells Masters. At the just concluded Miami Open, he suffered an early exit.
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