2022 marked the definitive explosion of Carlos Alcaraz. There were some hints already in the latter part of last season, when he beat Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open, but this year the Spaniard left everyone speechless. Also favored by the repeated absences of Novak Djokovic (due to the vaccination issue), the 19-year-old from Murcia has won two ATP 500s (Rio and Barcelona), two Masters 1000 (Miami and Madrid) and the US Open.
Thanks to his success in New York, ‘Carlitos’ has also become the youngest number 1 in the history of men’s tennis. Juan Carlos Ferrero’s protégé showed sparkling tennis, taking off the whim of beating Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic during the season.
At the same time, the Iberian struggled to manage the pressure in some moments. Just think of the premature eliminations in Montreal, Cincinnati and Astana. Alcaraz hopes to close in the best way a 2022 that will remain forever engraved in his memory.
In the latest edition of his podcast, Jimmy Connors analyzed Carlos’ perspectives in detail.
Connors on Carlos Alcaraz
“You’ve got a bull eye on your back now, especially Carlos Alcaraz, just won the US Open and you know, the year that he’s had and he’s No.
1 in the world. (He’s) got to realize that he’s everybody’s target and you know, he’s soon (going to) have to start figuring it out. You’ve got to start winning when you’re only (at your) 70% too, or you don’t like the court surface or it is a little too slow,” he said.
Speaking about his loss, the teenager said that the speed of the surface had diminished his confidence. “He has already played two games on this court, which is not the easiest to get used to. It is very slow and it has been complicated.
I (tried) to adapt and he was superior,” Alcaraz said, according to MARCA. “When you play against the World No. 1 on a big stage, big crowd, the fire inside gives you so much power to play your best tennis because you don’t have any choice,” Goffin said.
Jimmy Connors further declared that the sport had possibly reached its peak in terms of power and now a hybrid tennis player would have the upper hand. “It’s going to be interesting to see where this game goes from now.
I know it’s changed a lot from my day and the way they play, with the power and the rackets and the strings. I don’t know if they can get much (more power). The next is the hybrid. A hybrid tennis player that understands the power game that they have today; and kind of an old school attitude which is more like Federer and Djokovic,” he stated.
