“Over time, Carlitos will moderate this extreme way of playing. I hope that he moderates it, but that it is little, that it does not lose its essence, because it should always be a hallmark of his identity. and what is going to make it what it is.” The words are from Antonio Martínez-Cascalesmentor of Juan Carlos Ferrero and currently a member of Carlos Alcaraz’s coaching staff, and the reflection occurs in the players’ cafeteria of the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona during the spring of 2023.
Alcaraz was beginning to take off after suffering three muscle injuries in four months, setbacks that set off alarm bells and They opened a debate about him. Does Alcaraz have a style that is too explosive, too spectacular? Shouldn’t he be more efficient sometimes? “Every time I enter the track I don’t have a handbrake nor do I plan to put it on,” Alcaraz responded at a press conference one day after Cascales’ words.
Alcaraz’s going to the limit on each ball joins the Murcian’s particular show in each match. It is pure instinct and, when he is inspired, His forehand and left hand are truly crazy. But this permanent search for spectacle entails a risk when the muses abandon you.. As a child, in fact, he lost games by abusing drop shots and virguerías. What to do then?
Agassi’s advice: “You don’t always need a great day”
According to Andre Agassiwho has known this for a while, Alcaraz has to calm down and play more intelligent tennis, one that does not demand so much of him. With his low voice and slow tone, the eight-time Grand Slam champion has no end of words of admiration for Alcaraz and Nadal, with whom he met this weekend in Las Vegas for the Netflix Slam. But also recommendations, from someone who has gone through similar situations. Especially towards Alcaraz, who coexists with a marvelous talent and physique and, at the same time, with the “absurd” demand to be the continuator of the dominance that Nadal has exercised, along with Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.
That these three players have lived together in a similar period of time “is a miracle,” says Agassi, who ventures that, If one of them had not existed, “now there would be someone 34, 36′ tall.”
The weight of what the Big Three has achieved is now on Alcaraz’s shoulders. “He has all the ingredients to be someone apart from everyone else.“Acknowledges Agassi. “He has many things that he does better than anyone. But It has to be built on a foundation that is sustainable, not one that forces you to play spectacularly all the time. It’s something that these three have had. “They don’t always need a big day, and that matters a lot during a season and during a race.”
The best example of that was Alcaraz this weekend on the other side of the track. “I’ve never seen Nadal play better than he needed to,” Agassi continues. “He has always found a way to do what was necessary, within a match, within a point, within a shot, to be better than you. He never tried to do something he didn’t need to do. That requires incredible discipline and control of aggression. And it’s a testament to how well she knew his game and his mind. If he played spectacularly, it was because someone forced him to do so.”
The amazing Carlitos is not like that. “He plays spectacularly every ten seconds, regardless of whether they require it. It is very good for the sport and for the spectator. But, Is it the most efficient way to maximize what you can achieve? For now he is choosing a harder path“.
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Rafael Nadal
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Carlos Alcaraz
2024-03-05 15:33:34
#Agassi #sows #doubts #Alcarazs #strategy #Nadal #play #needed
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