Boris Becker believes Carlos Alcaraz has dropped the pace of progress in the latter half of 2023 and other players have overtaken him in terms of improvement.
The Spaniard was unable to win a title after his historic Wimbledon victory but still managed to fold the season as World No. 2 by clinching no less than 6 tour titles in the process.
Alcaraz’s 2023 season came to an end following a straight-set loss to Djokovic in the semifinal of ATP finals in Turin. The German former World No. 1 says that the recent hiccups of the youngster show how hard it is to maintain consistency at the highest level on the ATP tour.
“Why is that? Dueling with Djokovic, becoming No. 1 in the world and winning Wimbledon for the first time – maintaining this level is the most difficult thing in tennis,” said Becker while talking to Eurosport.
“Anyone can have a good tournament or a good year from time to time, but maintaining that level over the years is the real challenge.
“My favorite saying in this context is: ‘The locker room never sleeps’. It means that the other players have realized how you have to play against Alcaraz to have a chance against him. That’s what happened. Other players have developed and Alcaraz hasn’t.”
However, Becker feels Alcaraz will be looking ahead now and will respond with what is needed in 2024. The former Novak Djokovic coach also claimed that the 20-year-old might seek a coaching shakeup in the off-season before kicking off the new season and entering Melbourne Park in January.
Becker praised the Murcian for being great for tennis and one of the most entertaining pedigrees on the ATP circuit.
“He continues to play fantastic tennis,” the top coach added.
“I love watching him play tennis at its best with his footwork, his variation, his serve and his forehand.
“But the top players have adapted to this and know how to counter it. I’m convinced that Alcaraz will now train something new or different with Juan Carlos Ferrero in the winter and improve.
“Their task is to further develop his strengths. And I’m also convinced that we’ll see a very strong Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open 2024.”
American veteran tennis coach Rick Macci is among the big admirers of the World No. 2 and backed him to break double figures in Grand Slam wins.
“Alcaraz, we’ve never seen anything like this,” claimed Macci, on the Match Point Canada podcast.
“We’ve never seen it.
“He is a combination of, I tell everybody, [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, Djokovic and [Andre] Agassi, all wrapped in one.
“He has make-up speed like no other. Once he hits that other gear his turbo speed is amazing.
“He has a drop shot from outer space. He has missed more drop shots as a kid than anybody who has played tennis because he has tried more – and whoever coached him as a kid would not discourage that.
“I think he is going to get such a bucket of Grand Slams, it’s unreal. I feel, in my opinion, he is by far, the leader in the clubhouse.”
Alcaraz who couldn’t capped his 2023 campaign as a year-end World No.1 and also failed to defend his title at US Open has decided to skip United Cup and any other events before entering the season-opening Grand Slam of the year. He is expected to start big at the Australian Open in Melbourne