Jimmy Connors criticized Carlos Alcaraz for his attitude in the 2025 Wimbledon final!

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Enceladus

Legend
While the tennis world celebrates Jannik Sinner's Wimbledon triumph, voices are also emerging that point out the unconvincing performance of Carlos Alcaraz. Among his most vocal critics is joined Jimmy Connors, former World No.1 and two-time Wimbledon champion, who didn't spare the Spaniard on his podcast Advantage Connors.

The American legend was caught off guard by a situation during the third set when Alcaraz shouted towards his team: "At the baseline, he's being much better than me, much better."
Connors said to that:
"It's not acceptable. I don't know if I would have ever admitted it. Whatever happens, you have to step in, mix up your game a bit, or try something a bit different."

"I know I say it a lot, but if plan A isn't working, you have to think of something else. I also got beaten badly a couple of times at Wimbledon. It happens to everyone."

"If you want to defeat me, you have to defeat me. I'll try to play three different games, so if you beat me in the first and second, in the third I'll try something different. You might not see it from the stands, but it's hard to admit."
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Kralingen said:
Connors is willing to speak the home truths to Carlos, unlike JCF. He’s absolutely spot on and is not mincing words. It was an pathetic, pitiful loss, and a deeply concerning one moving forward.
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If you remember, when Alcaraz thrashed Tsitsipas at the FO 2023 (same tournament when he cramped vs DJoko later on) then Tsitsipas also whined to his box to his dad in Greek saying " Alcaraz hits with a lot of power... I donno what to do... "

This Alcaraz whining is in the same vein, no wonder Connors did not like it, that is not alpha behaviour. it is beta mentality to whine like that.

Connors was a bonafide Alpha in his era, so he does not approve of that.
 
A month ago Carlos beat Sinner in a Major final in a baseline battle, but somehow he's become a mentally fragile player over the night just because he told the truth (that Sinner was indeed a fairly better player from the baseline during the Wimbledon final)? What about him beating Sinner in the last four very close matches they played, isn't that a proof of a mental strength?

Some people expect a ridiculously high standards from the players, which is simply unrealistic. Carlos lost the match to a better player, that's all I see.
 
Martin J said:
A month ago Carlos beat Sinner in a Major final in a baseline battle, but somehow he's become a mentally fragile player over the night just because he told the truth (that Sinner was indeed a fairly better player from the baseline during the Wimbledon final)? What about him beating Sinner in the last four very close matches they played, isn't that a proof of a mental strength?

Some people expect a ridiculously high standards from the players, which is simply unrealistic. Carlos lost the match to a better player, that's all I see.
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Alcaraz was always more clutch than Sinner and probably shall always be, but this doesn't mean he is emotionally stable.

Sinner is more in the mould of Nadal who was emotionally like a rock, in contrast Djoko is mentally more clutch/zoned in than Nadal but he is more prone to outbursts and more volatile on occasions.

Thats the comparison here.
 
Kralingen said:
Connors is willing to speak the home truths to Carlos, unlike JCF. He’s absolutely spot on and is not mincing words. It was an pathetic, pitiful loss, and a deeply concerning one moving forward.
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When the Calf hires Connors as his new strategic/tactical coach, he will still need a hitting partner, because Connors has had a hip replacement or two and is approaching his 73rd birthday. Do you think JCF could be kept on as hitting partner so long as he doesn't say a word?
 
helterskelter said:
When the Calf hires Connors as his new strategic/tactical coach, he will still need a hitting partner, because Connors has had a hip replacement or two and is approaching his 73rd birthday. Do you think JCF could be kept on as hitting partner so long as he doesn't say a word?
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He probably believes that having JCF as a hitting partner is the reason why his results have suffered, particularly on HC and grass (where Ferrero was a mug).
 
Everyone thinks if Carlos plays at his A level he is untouchable, even by Sinner. These two have had some of closest matches ever.
Do you remember how Carlos' face lights up when he said, "against Sinner I need to play my very best." He knows there's nothing easy against him.
Sinner says the same about Carlos. Sinner's pace off both sides bothers Carlos and obviously the rest of the field.
 
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Razer said:
If you remember, when Alcaraz thrashed Tsitsipas at the FO 2023 (same tournament when he cramped vs DJoko later on) then Tsitsipas also whined to his box to his dad in Greek saying " Alcaraz hits with a lot of power... I donno what to do... "

This Alcaraz whining is in the same vein, no wonder Connors did not like it, that is not alpha behaviour. it is beta mentality to whine like that.

Connors was a bonafide Alpha in his era, so he does not approve of that.
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Jimbo is clearly implying that Alcaraz was heaving a defeatist mentality in that match, and I disagree with that. He was outplayed, but it's not like he surrendered mentally, his tactics of hitting uncharacteristically huge first serves and drop shots didn't work, Sinner managed to rush him from the baseline and was simply better prepared for the match.
It happens, not a big deal.
 
Martin J said:
Jimbo is clearly implying that Alcaraz was heaving a defeatist mentality in that match, and I disagree with that. He was outplayed, but it's not like he surrendered mentally, his tactics of hitting uncharacteristically huge first serves and drop shots didn't work, Sinner managed to rush him from the baseline and was simply better prepared for the match.
It happens, not a big deal.
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Alcaraz's body language was very un-alcarazlike, so maybe he did have a defeatist mentality. The last set I saw Alcaraz was very submissive.
 
Completely agree with him. What was he doing there, laughing and grinning from ear to ear during the presentation ceremony? You lost a Wimbledon final. It should devastate you, crush you. I remember how crushed and depressed Fed looked when he lost 2008. And he was the 5 time defending champ going for the 6th time. I understand different people process this differently, but both in the presentation and in the press conferences, Carlos just seemed way too happy to end up on the losing side. He played well for 2 sets and then… gave up. It’s weird and inexplicable.
 
helterskelter said:
When the Calf hires Connors as his new strategic/tactical coach, he will still need a hitting partner, because Connors has had a hip replacement or two and is approaching his 73rd birthday. Do you think JCF could be kept on as hitting partner so long as he doesn't say a word?
Click to expand...
JCF shall be kept on as entertainment.

Whenever the team gets bored they can ask Ferrero for his “gameplans” and all have a jolly laugh at his expense. He can also get into slapstick comedy routines where he trips over the net and holds the racquet upside down, etc.
 
ibbi said:
It was literally 50 years ago when Ashe was junkballing him into oblivion that someone in the crowd yelled C’MON JIMMY, and the great man yelled back in frustration “I’M TRYIN’ FOR CHRIST’S SAKE”. What is THAT but admitting you are a distant second best?
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That is not admitting you are second best. Far from it. It just means Jimmy is giving his full effort and current strategy is not working.
And as Jimmy said, he's got many different strategies he can pull out.
Scoreline indicates he switched up his play and made it a close match in later sets.
:unsure:
Ashe wins: 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
 
Krish0608 said:
Completely agree with him. What was he doing there, laughing and grinning from ear to ear during the presentation ceremony? You lost a Wimbledon final. It should devastate you, crush you. I remember how crushed and depressed Fed looked when he lost 2008. And he was the 5 time defending champ going for the 6th time. I understand different people process this differently, but both in the presentation and in the press conferences, Carlos just seemed way too happy to end up on the losing side. He played well for 2 sets and then… gave up. It’s weird and inexplicable.
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Carlos has won the Channel Slam two years in a row. Nobody has ever done it three years in a row. A tough task.
And it is difficult to stay motivated with the Emma distraction.
 
Martin J said:
Managed to take a set off peak Fed at W, not a mug after all.
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Ferrero could ball, him getting hit with a double whammy of adult chicken pox and injuries cut his prime short drastically. That's not to say he would have added to his major count but a healthy JCF would have been a near lock to make the second week of big events without much issue, his game translated well everywhere even if he liked clay the best (making two Wimbledon QF's loooong after his peak was in the rearview mirror is testament to that).
 
FD3S said:
Ferrero could ball, him getting hit with a double whammy of adult chicken pox and injuries cut his prime short drastically. That's not to say he would have added to his major count but a healthy JCF would have been a near lock to make the second week of big events without much issue, his game translated well everywhere even if he liked clay the best (making two Wimbledon QF's loooong after his peak was in the rearview mirror is testament to that).
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My whole post (and the one before) is a joke as a sarcastic response to Kral's hate towards JFC, I respect Ferrero very much.
 
Martin J said:
My whole post (and the one before) is a joke as a sarcastic response to Kral's hate towards JFC, I respect Ferrero very much.
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I kinda figured but I never hesitate to post some JCF love anyway - dude got forgotten very quickly and it wasn't like he fell off a cliff because he took the game for granted or whatever, that illness/injury 1-2 combo was brutal. His forehand had lost so much sting by the time he was fit to play again, it was rough to watch.
 
FD3S said:
I kinda figured but I never hesitate to post some JCF love anyway - dude got forgotten very quickly and it wasn't like he fell off a cliff because he took the game for granted or whatever, that illness/injury 1-2 combo was brutal. His forehand had lost so much sting by the time he was fit to play again, it was rough to watch.
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When you take a look at first four RG results - SF, SF, F, W - you realize how talented the guy is. I still rate his peak level at RG over Federer's and Novak's and would've loved to see him playing prime Nadal on dirt, solid off both wings, an underrated forehand and the overall mentality built for the surface would make a popcorn matchup.

Imagine having a healthy Ferrero (and Kuerten) in 2005 with Nadal, Coria, Gaudio and Puerta, what a CC field would that be!
 
The defeat had nothing to do with mentality and everything to do with Sinner on a fast court is unbeatable when he’s playing well.

It reminds me of Nadal-Novak. Nadal feasted before Novak got it going, but when he did. Clay became his hiding place and even there Novak eventually broke through.
 
Martin J said:
When you take a look at first four RG results - SF, SF, F, W - you realize how talented the guy is. I still rate his peak level at RG over Federer's and Novak's and would've loved to see him playing prime Nadal on dirt, solid off both wings, an underrated forehand and the overall mentality built for the surface would make a popcorn matchup.

Imagine having a healthy Ferrero (and Kuerten) in 2005 with Nadal, Coria, Gaudio and Puerta, what a CC field would that be!
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He was so good no matter where he played during his criminally short peak. Steve Tignor once wrote that "Ferrero’s game—dependable, penetratingly flat ground strokes hit with equal effectiveness crosscourt and up the line, backed by a defensive wall of speed—looked to be the wave of the future. Here was the guy who could finally unite clay and hard court tennis" and though he was soon overshadowed by both Federer and Nadal the assessment of his playstyle was an accurate one. Modern fans tend to think he was a clay court specialist but he really was capable everywhere; I brought up his post prime Wimbledon results already but another great example was the absolute war he had with Hewitt at the 2002 Masters Cup final on indoor hard. What a match from both guys.
 
FD3S said:
He was so good no matter where he played during his criminally short peak. Steve Tignor once wrote that "Ferrero’s game—dependable, penetratingly flat ground strokes hit with equal effectiveness crosscourt and up the line, backed by a defensive wall of speed—looked to be the wave of the future. Here was the guy who could finally unite clay and hard court tennis" and though he was soon overshadowed by both Federer and Nadal the assessment of his playstyle was an accurate one. Modern fans tend to think he was a clay court specialist but he really was capable everywhere; I brought up his post prime Wimbledon results already but another great example was the absolute war he had with Hewitt at the 2002 Masters Cup final on indoor hard. What a match from both guys.
Click to expand...
When you are a great ballstriker, which Ferrero obviously was, your game translates to most if not to all surfaces much easier. He's had some amazing runs on HC (beating Hewitt and Agassi at the 2003 USO) and his Madrid run on indoor hard that same year was pretty nice.
The difference between him and the modern players is that he actually knew how to play on clay optimally, instead of ballbashing all day long (which young(er) players tend to do), and he was more than your typical CC specialist. The guy pushed Hewitt to five sets on grass.

By the way, you've probably noticed that Moya's forehand is highly respected and always in a conversation as one of the best of late 90s, early 00s, but Ferrero's FH doesn't get much attention and I'm not sure why? Probably because he was a top player for a shorter period of time, but that shot could do the damage.
 
ibbi said:
It was literally 50 years ago when Ashe was junkballing him into oblivion that someone in the crowd yelled C’MON JIMMY, and the great man yelled back in frustration “I’M TRYIN’ FOR CHRIST’S SAKE”. What is THAT but admitting you are a distant second best?
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Arthur Ashe, almost 32, defeated the then defending Wimbledon champion, Jimmy Connors, at Wimbledon 1975.
Without a doubt, one of the greatest upsets in the history of that legendary tournament.
8-B
 
Connors thinks everyone should be like him no matter what. next thing he’s gonna say is Carlos doesn’t hit with enough side spin
 
Third Serve said:
Alcaraz finally lost a match against Sinner after winning his last five in a row. The Wimbledon final was not an ideal match for him but let’s spare the pitchforks for a second.
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He also had won 24 matches in a row going in and is still on 33 of his last 35 matches (and he had some injury troubles in the other loss in that stretch). Not all of his performances have been stellar but that is a step up in terms of consistently getting the win compared to the previous year and a half.
 
ibbi said:
It was literally 50 years ago when Ashe was junkballing him into oblivion that someone in the crowd yelled C’MON JIMMY, and the great man yelled back in frustration “I’M TRYIN’ FOR CHRIST’S SAKE”. What is THAT but admitting you are a distant second best?
Click to expand...
Yeah he must have Alzheimer's or something.
I didn't see that match but I did see others where he said basically the same thing!
'Bustin' my ass off' etc. etc. in frustration.
 
Martin J said:
I must have missed his second Channel Slam. And Borg won three in a row ('78-'80).
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Came as close to making it four in a row as the Calf did to making it two in a row: won RG, lost WI final 81. And both losing finals were four-set defeats after a 6-4 victorious opening set. Borg lost to McEnroe 6-4 6-7 6-7 4-6; Calf to Sinner 6-4 4-6 4-6 4-6.

There's also the question mark as to whether Borg might have won it in 1977 too had he played RG.
 
Martin J said:
He was outplayed
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Of course he was, but I understand Connors' point that Alcaraz--that grown, experienced player--needed what he does not have: a plan "B", hence the reason he was so easily defeated by Sinner, who is all too aware of Alcaraz's bag of tricks, and had answers for all of it.
Hitman said:
Connors, these things happen.
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Not in the minds of the worst of Alcaraz's fans who were completely arrogant at the start of Wimbledon, guaranteeing Alcaraz was going to win / Sinnner--specifically Sinner--had no chance if they met in the final. Now, its endless excuses made for someone who had their ass handed to him, arguably because he bought into the fan hype of his being "unbeatable", too.
 
THUNDERVOLLEY said:
Of course he was, but I understand Connors' point that Alcaraz--that grown, experienced player--needed what he does not have: a plan "B", hence the reason he was so easily defeated by Sinner, who is all too aware of Alcaraz's bag of tricks, and had answers for all of it.

Not in the minds of the worst of Alcaraz's fans who were completely arrogant at the start of Wimbledon, guaranteeing Alcaraz was going to win / Sinnner--specifically Sinner--had no chance if they met in the final. Now, its endless excuses made for someone who had their ass handed to him, arguably because he bought into the fan hype of his being "unbeatable", too.
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I know some got caught up in the hype of the Alcaraz streak against Sinner, but it was clear to many also that Sinner was beating him on grass. The grass just changes everything between them.
 
Martin J said:
When you are a great ballstriker, which Ferrero obviously was, your game translates to most if not to all surfaces much easier. He's had some amazing runs on HC (beating Hewitt and Agassi at the 2003 USO) and his Madrid run on indoor hard that same year was pretty nice.
The difference between him and the modern players is that he actually knew how to play on clay optimally, instead of ballbashing all day long (which young(er) players tend to do), and he was more than your typical CC specialist. The guy pushed Hewitt to five sets on grass.

By the way, you've probably noticed that Moya's forehand is highly respected and always in a conversation as one of the best of late 90s, early 00s, but Ferrero's FH doesn't get much attention and I'm not sure why? Probably because he was a top player for a shorter period of time, but that shot could do the damage.
Click to expand...
El Mosquito!
 
Martin J said:
When you are a great ballstriker, which Ferrero obviously was, your game translates to most if not to all surfaces much easier. He's had some amazing runs on HC (beating Hewitt and Agassi at the 2003 USO) and his Madrid run on indoor hard that same year was pretty nice.
The difference between him and the modern players is that he actually knew how to play on clay optimally, instead of ballbashing all day long (which young(er) players tend to do), and he was more than your typical CC specialist. The guy pushed Hewitt to five sets on grass.

By the way, you've probably noticed that Moya's forehand is highly respected and always in a conversation as one of the best of late 90s, early 00s, but Ferrero's FH doesn't get much attention and I'm not sure why? Probably because he was a top player for a shorter period of time, but that shot could do the damage.
Click to expand...
maybe because Moya never hit a backhand in his life?

just kidding....just was funny how far he would go to make sure he hit a forehand...for people here who only know him as Rafa's later coach they should check him out on YT and see where he set up shop on the baseline

good serve too
 
Better_Call_Raul said:
Carlos has won the Channel Slam two years in a row. Nobody has ever done it three years in a row. A tough task.
And it is difficult to stay motivated with the Emma distraction.
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Yeah, was not a great tournament from him right from the start. Distracted with the whole Emma Raducanu gimmick, Was handed a very easy draw but still struggled through it, dropping several sets. Way too much continuous tennis by the time he reached the final. And his mental performance in the final is the worst I have ever seen from him. I was not disappointed he lost. Frankly, Sinner was due this time. But the way he resigned himself to the outcome after 2 sets and just how well he took the loss bothered me a little. I won't lie.
 
Kralingen said:
Connors is willing to speak the home truths to Carlos, unlike JCF. He’s absolutely spot on and is not mincing words. It was an pathetic, pitiful loss, and a deeply concerning one moving forward.
Click to expand...
Connors is spot on. I personally predicted Sinner would beat Alcaraz at W as I did think the effort Alcaraz put in at the FO may be his undoing moving forward at W and boy was I right. After that SP he won Alcaraz seemed to lose heart as if he felt he could do the FO all over again.

Connors is spot on and Alcaraz attitude is still a concern to me albeit let's see how he behaves at the USO. Hope he shows more fight than he did at W.
 
helterskelter said:
Came as close to making it four in a row as the Calf did to making it two in a row: won RG, lost WI final 81. And both losing finals were four-set defeats after a 6-4 victorious opening set. Borg lost to McEnroe 6-4 6-7 6-7 4-6; Calf to Sinner 6-4 4-6 4-6 4-6.

There's also the question mark as to whether Borg might have won it in 1977 too had he played RG.
Click to expand...
Borg came closer because he was a break up in the third set and actually had two consecutive set points to take the two sets to one lead. Carlos was never in a winning position after the first set.

Good question about the 1977 season. Could a potential win at RG that year exhaust him enough mentally to fail to overcome Jimbo in a very close Wimbledon final, though? Judging by his post 1977 results, no, but who knows...
 
Krish0608 said:
Completely agree with him. What was he doing there, laughing and grinning from ear to ear during the presentation ceremony? You lost a Wimbledon final. It should devastate you, crush you. I remember how crushed and depressed Fed looked when he lost 2008. And he was the 5 time defending champ going for the 6th time. I understand different people process this differently, but both in the presentation and in the press conferences, Carlos just seemed way too happy to end up on the losing side. He played well for 2 sets and then… gave up. It’s weird and inexplicable.
Click to expand...
Meh, I saw it more as him trying to stay positive, even if it meant trying a little too much for some people's liking. As you said yourself, he was playing well for two sets before it started to go wrong. I don't think he gave up, more so he understood and was in awe of getting outplayed so hard. If it's going to happen, it'll be against Sinner.
 
It is not particularly helpful to whine to your coach, "At the baseline, he's being much better than me, much better!"
That is a rather shocking statement. Have never heard any pro player, let alone a champion, exhibit such negativity.
Coaches usually advise reframing negative self-talk into actionable positive feedback:
“I’m not winning enough baseline points. Should I try bringing him to the net or slicing more?”
:unsure:
 
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