Carlos Alcaraz‘s performance in the latter half of the 2023 ATP season wasn’t exactly stellar. It left some folks questioning if the hype around him was a bit too much.
But was it really? Nah, not at all.
You see, the Big Three in tennis isn’t the standard. In fact, Alcaraz’s career path looks a lot like theirs. That alone should tell you something. But hey, let’s add some more details for good measure.
Alcaraz is the youngest number one ever. He’s also a two-time Grand Slam champ. One of his victories was at Wimbledon, a major played on grass. And guess what? Grass isn’t even his best surface!
He managed to beat Novak Djokovic in the final. He’s the first guy to do that on the Centre Court of Wimbledon in a decade. So, overhyped? I don’t think so. The second half of the season was just a bit rough for him. Injuries and a struggle to find his best form were the main culprits.
Boris Becker, a tennis legend who spoke to Eurosport, thinks it’s all connected. Alcaraz’s motivation might’ve taken a hit, and his body followed suit. He probably didn’t train as hard as he should’ve. And in tennis, you can’t afford to slack off.
“When motivation weakens, the body also suffers. If you skip one or two training sessions. That’s what happened to me. It’s happened to every successful 20-year-old,” Becker said.
Becker knows Alcaraz well enough to predict he’ll be training hard during the winter break. He’s sure Alcaraz won’t be satisfied with how the season ended. He’ll be eager to make a comeback.
“I am convinced, with Carlos Ferrero at his side, that Carlos is going into the winter break highly motivated and is looking forward to Melbourne and the new season,” Becker added.
Before he heads to Australia, Alcaraz has a match against Djokovic in Saudi Arabia. That’s happening in a few days. So, keep an eye out for that.
Takeaways
‣ Carlos Alcaraz, despite a less successful second half of the 2023 ATP season, is not overhyped. He is the youngest number one ever and a two-time Grand Slam champion.
‣ Alcaraz’s performance in the second half of the season was affected by a combination of injuries and an inability to find his best tennis.
‣ Boris Becker predicts that Alcaraz will practice hard during the winter break and will be highly motivated to improve his performance in the new season.