Paolo Bertolucci, former ATP #12 believes Carlos Alcaraz lags his Italian rival Jannik Sinner by light years in terms of mentality.
The Italian asserted that Alcaraz holds a strong base both physically and technically but argued that he will struggle with ups and downs if not managed properly. Alcaraz in a short period of time, has made big leaps in his career as he clinched two major titles and become the youngest ever World No. 1 in the ATP rankings after winning 2022 US Open.
The Spaniard however, has witnessed a dip in his form since his marvelous triumph at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships in July when he won his last title. In his only final, he reached following his SW19 triumph at Cincinnati Masters in August, Alcaraz lost to Djokovic in three sets.
It was around same period, the 20-year-old began to experience a slump in his tactical and mental game while Sinner started to discover his full potential to record best results of his career to date. After entering the final four at Wimbledon and subsequently losing to Djokovic, Sinner sealed titles in Toronto, Beijing and Vienna before making a runner-up finish at the year-end ATP Finals at home in Turin. He then went on to guide his nation to the Davis Cup glory by eliminating Djokovic’s Serbia in semifinals and concluding the season with another jubilant victory.
The World No. 4 has extended his superb form into 2024 as he won the Australian Open last week to have his maiden GS title. Alcaraz was knocked out by Alexander Zverev in the final eight stage of the tournament.
Talking to Italian website Fanpage, Bertolucci was asked about the potentials and paths of Alcaraz and Sinner, considering the fact that the latter has tasted big success in recent months.
“In my opinion, Alcaraz has an incredible technical background, even physically, but mentally he is light years away from Sinner,” asserted Bertolucci.
“He looks for something else besides the point, many times he seems to be having fun and involving the public because his tennis is made up of special effects. Content with making a point, he wants to do it with a double somersault, with a somersault.
“These are beautiful things, which drive you crazy, but sometimes they make you lose games. There are moments when everything is easy and you can let yourself go. But when you, if you find three ties in the third set, you have to go concrete and he has been lacking lately from this point of view,” the 72-year-old said.
“He is two years younger than Sinner, he is very young and if they manage to channel him, he will be a splendid player to be admired for a long time. Otherwise, it will be fluctuating with very high peaks and sudden drops.”
The former French Open quarter-finalist offered his understanding of the 22-year-old’s mindset: “He programs well, like all the things he does. You also see the perfect approach to Australia with the work done and no injuries.
“All the components have to fall into place, and now they have fallen into the right place, and he does everything possible for this to happen. It is a guarantee in this.”