Carlos Alcaraz’s meteoric rise over the past 18 months has positioned him as a superstar of the sport but his coach believes there is a lot more work to be done.
Juan Carlos Ferrero is the person in charge of guiding the world No.2 on the Tour. The former French Open champion first got acquainted with Alcaraz when he was 13 after watching him train at the Equelite Sport Academy. He then watched him earn his first ATP ranking point at the age of 14 before becoming his coach in 2018 after working briefly with Alexander Zverev.
During their time together, Alcaraz has blossomed on the Tour by winning eight titles, including last year’s US Open. It was in 2022 when he became the youngest year-end No.1 in history, as well as the youngest to defeat both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the same tournament. Guiding his compatriot to the top, Ferrero has been praised for his work and was named ATP Coach of the Year last December.
“I like to talk a lot with the players about how we have to do things, generally, and on the court, of course. I ask the player what he thinks,” Ferrero said during an interview with Tennis Majors.
“I’m not the type of coach, like [who says] ‘You do that and you apply without discussions’. We debate everything, even if I know the path we have to walk on for the future. Let’s say I’m strict on the ideas that I have. But I’m a close person, generally friendly with people. I try to learn something from any coach I’m discussing with. So I’m that open with the players.”
So far in 2023, Alcaraz has produced a win-loss record of 18-2 this season, winning titles in Buenos Aires and Indian Wells. The only players to have beaten him are Cameron Norrie at the Rio Open and Jannik Sinner in Miami.
Whilst few can dispute the talent of the 19-year-old, Ferrero says his development in the sport remains an ongoing process and there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“He’s playing at the top level but obviously he’s not 100 percent. A tennis player has to improve things all his life and Carlos has to be able to do that for his career,” he explained.
“He has to improve his return, he has to improve his consistency on service, he has to improve small details. In Miami, he led 6-0, 5-4 and made three mistakes in a row on his serve against Lajovic and went to the tiebreak.’
“Even mentally: people feel he is super strong, he obviously is, but he needs to be more mature in a lot of areas on the court and off the court.’
“Maybe he’s at 65 percent or 70 percent (of his full potential). But he’ll turn 20 next month, he has to improve many, many things.”
One aspect of concern about Alcaraz is his recent injury misfortunes. He missed the ATP Finals last November due to an abdominal issue before injuring his leg during the off-season which forced him out of the Australian Open. He also withdrew from the Mexican Open due to his hamstring.
This week he announced his withdrawal from the Monte Carlo Masters following medical advice. He has been diagnosed with post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand. A type of arthritis that develops after there has been an acute injury to the joint but it is usually only a short-term issue. On top of that, he is also suffering from muscular discomfort in his spine.
Ferrero declined to comment on Alcaraz’s hand injury during his interview with Tennis Majors that took place during the Miami Open. However, he is confident that the right management procedures are in place to minimize the risk of future injuries.
“Injuries in tennis are normal. We made some changes these latest times, on small details of his journey. We monitor everything, tuned up here and there,” he concluded.
