What is Carlos Alcaraz without constant on-court coaching?

One loss can change a whole lot of perceptions even around the hottest tennis player on the planet. On Friday night, outgoing World No.1 and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz being bumped out by Daniil Medvedev once again brought into focus the frailties in the Spaniard. To lose a hot match to Daniil Medvedev in raucous New York was hard for Alcaraz, who has been hyped as the replacement for his illustrious countryman Rafael Nadal.

Maybe, this was the kind of lesson, a literal one, Alcaraz needed from the plucky Russian, who was certainly not the crowd favorite in the last four stage, which is akin to heavyweight boxing’s brutal last round. He has to save his ass, literally, to use an American slang!

Perhaps, Carlos Alcaraz, the heart-throb of the Millennial tennis fans realized his report card at the end had a few red marks. Most importantly, it brought into focus a key aspect of how the man who beat Novak Djokovic in the pulsating Wimbledon final this July needs support/coaching from his box.

To cut a long story short, Alcaraz has needed not just pushing, cheering, and motivation from his corner which includes coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and a few more people. At a different age and time, Alcaraz would have been hauled over the coals if he were to receive coaching onsite. Times have changed. Like that school kid who needs constant pushing and encouragement from parents or home tutor that he can complete the assignments well, Alcaraz needs help.

This kind of help was banned in the past. There was no way a player on court could get coaching or encouragement, unless some sign language was used. That, too, was under scrutiny of prying cameras. Unless, of course, it happened to be a Davis Cup tie where the player representing his country can get tips from his non-playing captain and the coach from the sidelines during changeover.

Read further: Carlos Alcaraz almost SMASHES his racket in frustration during ‘poor’ outing against Daniil Medvedev at the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz receives a little ‘too much’ coaching from Juan Carlos Ferrero

At 20, Carlos Alcaraz is praised sky-high for his triumphs, the peak being the win at Wimbledon recently. People took it for granted he was the heavyweight road roller who would crush all opponents. Well, in New York, where skyscrapers of rich Manhattan dot the skyline and majestic buildings like the Empire State Building and rebuilt World Trade Centre leave you in awe with jaws gaping, Alcaraz did not stand tall.

Against moody Medvedev, who complained all summer about clay courts and the ball being slow, Alcaraz was not turbocharged. Crowds were against Medvedev as Alcaraz was the darling, the heart-throb, the boy who is supposed to be king after King Rafael Nadal. Well, Kings do not need counseling or advice from their ministers when they are discharging duty.

If Carlos is King, he is not the ruler who can rise minus coaching/support from his box. There have been complaints in the past that the chair umpires are partial, both ATP and ITF gold badge guys, that they will allow Alcaraz coaching but not Stefanos Tsitsipas! Partiality? Yes.

Well, on Friday night, the heat and humidity of New York plus tutorials did not help defending champion Alcaraz. He fell by the wayside with a thud. He failed, to borrow an academic phrase, after taking a three-hour and 18-minute test, where Medvedev was the examiner. Anyone who has watched the Russian play will vouch that the 2021 US Open champion Medvedev is as ruthless as Muhammad Ali.

It has to do with the Russian aggro, wanting to wage war, be it against Ukraine or a player on the tennis court! Medvedev won the battle and left Alcaraz pensive. “These kind of matches can happen. Even if I feel I’m a more mature, different player. He (Medvedev) played really, really great. A great game. I couldn’t find solutions. I thought right now I’m a better player to find solutions when the match isn’t going the right direction.. after this match, I’m gonna change my mind. I’m not mature enough to handle these kind of matches,” he said.

This admission from Alcaraz says a lot about his mental makeup, that he is not the toughest cookie. Plus, he cannot put on his thinking cap when in soup. Sadly, coaching from the “box” was also of no help as Juan Carlos Ferrero’s instructions in Spanish were eventually a disaster.

Going back to the debate on whether players ever needed coaching in real-time, the prime examples are the Fab 3 — Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Fans may be split on the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate) but these three champions who won an assortment of Grand Slam titles were Lord And Master, minus on-site coaching.

In difficult situations like staring down the barrel at break point or facing a set point or match point, Novak, Rafa, and Roger used their own survival skills. What they did was take a deep breath, change the style of play, or come up with some amazing shots. These were out-of-the-world strokes produced. It was creativity plus using life-saving skills like the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) doctor dealing with a patient fighting for life on the ventilator.

Tennis matches are also very intense on a daily basis for the professionals. That the tennis which past champions and Numero Uno Novak produced was of their own design needs to be appreciated even more today. All three, Novak, Rafa, and Roger had different coaches and an entire support staff who did change over the years, but once play began, it was fighting on own. After all, a fighter pilot at Mach speeds does not always eject even if there is an engine flameout. He will test his own skills and only give up at the last minute or still attempt to land.

Tennis fans around the globe need to appreciate and admire the Fab 3 for their own skills and substance. That was not just honest tennis but also a treatise as to how in stressful match situations, survival and crafting wins was more than just the forehand and backhand. It had to do with being cerebral in wriggling out of tough spots.

One player, much later in her career who was accused of receiving coaching during a match was diva Serena Williams. To her credit, she won 23 Grand Slam titles minus coaches helping her out in sticky situations. Maybe, on her return after her first pregnancy, she was more tentative and needed gentle signals from her coach. Yet, not the type that Carlos Alcaraz needs.

If one talks of the most recent case study, Coco Gauff has resisted coaching from her box or sidelines as witnessed during the 2023 US Open first round. Tonight she is up against Aryna Sabalenka and aims to become the next big American champion. Minus onsite coaching!

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