The Arrogance of Alcaraz is and will be his undoing

[clayqueen]

The forehand looks like the shot that needs more improvement, and he can be rushed easily from that side. He was spraying them left, right and center. The Wilander jinx works once again. Greatest forehand of all time couldn't find the court a lot of the time in this match.

Not according to Wilander:

Carlos Alcaraz ‘has the best forehand of all time,’ says multiple Grand Slam winner and former world number one Mats Wilander.

https://**********.net/carlos-alcaraz-has-the-best-forehand-of-all-time-says-legend/

 

[mike danny]

Be open to the possibility of being surprised sometimes. That's all I'm saying.
What's the worst that can happen?

But it's been years and they haven't failed to surprise me at failing.

Even if they do go on to win something or win something more in the future, it won't be because they're amazing players but because things lined up for them just like they have so far.

Med is no.1 because of Novak's deportation, not because he's a great player.

 

[jl809]

I agree with pretty much everything that’s been said here.

Tiny needs to

• Sort the **** out of his crappy tennis IQ which has him going for big shots or dumb droppers far too much
• Show that he has actual opponent-specific tactics beyond just Play the Good Tennis 24/7
• Be willing to suffer and grind to win matches, not always win with “woww”
• Fix the BH and RoS
• Stop the dumb press conference comments
• Stop thinking about, talking about and practicing with Djokovic so much
• Work on 1st set looseness which sometimes really flares up

Having said that he’s a multiple slam winner and is still really young - in fact he comes across as more of a child if you see him in person, he actually still has some puppy fat and acne around his face IRL I think which amazed me. He is nowhere near a mature man yet. So I’m not furious that he’s not perfect. Fedovic certainly weren’t at his age

 

[guilhermefdc]

But I thought Carloth is basically peak

Yeah, but at 20 years old and having accomplished so much it is pretty understandable. Hubris is a disease his success has brought on, and he has to get it under control. It’s a symptom of being good, and not a terrible problem to have at this age, all things considered.

We all remember Djokovic’s iconically hilarious press conference at Roland Garros in 06, or Federer… for years. In the long run it helps to have that crazy self-belief that borders on arrogance, but it takes time to learn to temper it, to play smarter, talk smarter, think smarter, etc.

The guy is still not old enough to buy a drink in the US, people need to put everything, the good and the bad, into perspective.

Exactly. So far he has twice the amount of titles, masters and slams that Djokovic had when he was 20. His overall career most likely won’t end with 24+ slams, but it doesn’t need to.
As much as I prefer Sinner, he is fun to watch and he is bringing new fans to the sport.
One loss isn’t the end of the world or a sign that his choices and play style are wrong — specially when he lost to a Zverev who was consistent and who is capable of beating Djokovic on fast courts.

 

[michael valek]

My suggestion would be to stop thinking that grunting alone is enough to win the point I.e. louder means more terrifying to the opponent and more amazing to the crowd . If he shuts up a bit he’ll play better.

 

[mike danny]

They can show us something once Djokovic is retired lol

Like everyone else since many others would get a bite at the cake in that scenario.

Ruud reached 3 major finals, Kyrgios himself reached one and Alcaraz became no.1 during the time Djokovic was banned from like half the tour.

 

[pirhaksar]

And it didn't even take much.

Exactly. So what's all the panicking about?
He has a long way to go. But so do Zverev, Medvedev and Tsitsipas, because players tend to retire a bit later now.

Well most believe and by those I mean the ones that don’t want Djoker winning that Raz is the only one who can stop Djoker. Hence the venting and cussing against a 20 yr old ATG in the making.

 

[mahatma]

Be open to the possibility of being surprised sometimes. That's all I'm saying.
What's the worst that can happen?

No alarms and no surprises. Please!

 

[mike danny]

Well most believe and by those I mean the ones that don’t want Djoker winning that Raz is the only one who can stop Djoker. Hence the venting and cussing against a 20 yr old ATG in the making.

I mean, what you say is true. Raz is the only one since Delpo who has actually achieved things legitimately.

 

[Rosstour]

I am very disappointed with his attitude. He had the world at his feet and has unreal talent but he has gone backwards since wimbledon and seems to lack the desire and heart to scrap in rallies and seems more interested in playing up to the crowd than playing winning tennis that at times can be boring to watch but effective.
We saw this arrogance against medvedev in the uso where he took liberties with medvedev as if he was a club player and he did the same today with zverev, even his pre match comments were disrespectful.
the blsme is with alcaraz coaching team. Somebody needs to grab him by the throat and give his some home truths. way too much showbosting and if he doesnt get a grip he will be the greatest unfulfilled talent ever as he should be winning calendar slams with his talent. But so could alot of other players in the past but what separates the great from ATGs is heart desire and a willingness to die on court. Not seeing that mentality from alcaraz.
Toni nadal would be the perfect coach for him. Has been awful for FAA but for Alcaraz he would deal with that arrogance

I don't think Carlos is arrogant. Not problematically so, anyway. No more so than any of the B3

"He is not unbeatable"

"I crucify him, no?"

"i am extremely talented"

 

[Phenomenal]

I am very disappointed with his attitude. He had the world at his feet and has unreal talent but he has gone backwards since wimbledon and seems to lack the desire and heart to scrap in rallies and seems more interested in playing up to the crowd than playing winning tennis that at times can be boring to watch but effective.
We saw this arrogance against medvedev in the uso where he took liberties with medvedev as if he was a club player and he did the same today with zverev, even his pre match comments were disrespectful.
the blsme is with alcaraz coaching team. Somebody needs to grab him by the throat and give his some home truths. way too much showbosting and if he doesnt get a grip he will be the greatest unfulfilled talent ever as he should be winning calendar slams with his talent. But so could alot of other players in the past but what separates the great from ATGs is heart desire and a willingness to die on court. Not seeing that mentality from alcaraz.
Toni nadal would be the perfect coach for him. Has been awful for FAA but for Alcaraz he would deal with that arrogance

Spot on. Absolutely agree. I also don't like his mentality in matches i find him bit shaky sometimes. Doesn't look fully focused either. He has insane talent and has all the shots but when he plays badly maybe he can be confused whether to continue playing agressive. He likes to play offensive tennis but i think he should play for bit more margins, needs to find the balance. when he can't hit through against the likes of Zverev and Medvedev. There is no way they can hit through against Alcaraz.

Idk how is it now but last year i saw that his coaching team, Ferrero talks him like everypoint. To me it doesn't like good at all, it harms him more. Thats why don't like his coaching at all.

 

[mcs1970]

This is a guy who went toe to toe in baseline rallies with Novak at both Wimbledon and at Cincy. Anyone who can do that doesn’t really have any glaring stroke weakness despite what ttw warriors want to say.

The issue for Carlos is always going to be the same. He doesn’t win many easy points. He doesn’t have a serve that can do that or one stroke that has put away power. Contrast that to Sinner who has easy power or Z today whose serve was humming.

I am not saying he is not more talented than Z or Sinnwr but always having to play hard and never get easy points is mentally draining. That’s why he goes for a lot of drop shots. One might think it is arrogance or him treating his opponent like a club player, but IMO he is doing it because he wants some easier and quicker points and is willing to take the risk that he loses those points. He knows the alternative of going though long rallies each time is not sustainable for him.

 

[Kralingen]

And it didn't even take much.

He was like lets practice and go to dinner bro lol
SUCKER!

Nah, Novak has been hyping Carlos almost as much as I have in the press. Especially leading up to RG and Wimbledon he was talking about how he’s the next great thing, as good as anyone he’s ever played, will win all these slams.

Like after Cincy he was saying that was the toughest match of his career etc.

He has definitely made a concerted effort to hype Carlos and get in his head that he’s the one. He doesn’t talk about the other guys that way. And it worked.

 

[heftylefty]

Alcaraz has to be the only two slams winner under 21 who's underperformed. Oh, in one of those slams he beat Djokovic.

Classic Tennis Talk.

 

[wangs78]

This is a guy who went toe to toe in baseline rallies with Novak at both Wimbledon and at Cincy. Anyone who can do that doesn’t really have any glaring stroke weakness despite what ttw warriors want to say.

The issue for Carlos is always going to be the same. He doesn’t win many easy points. He doesn’t have a serve that can do that or one stroke that has put away power. Contrast that to Sinner who has easy power or Z today whose serve was humming.

I am not saying he is not more talented than Z or Sinnwr but always having to play hard and never get easy points is mentally draining. That’s why he goes for a lot of drop shots. One might think it is arrogance or him treating his opponent like a club player, but IMO he is doing it because he wants some easier and quicker points and is willing to take the risk that he loses those points. He knows the alternative of going though long rallies each time is not sustainable for him.

It was sustainable for Rafa...

 

[Kevind]

I am very disappointed with his attitude. He had the world at his feet and has unreal talent but he has gone backwards since wimbledon and seems to lack the desire and heart to scrap in rallies and seems more interested in playing up to the crowd than playing winning tennis that at times can be boring to watch but effective.
We saw this arrogance against medvedev in the uso where he took liberties with medvedev as if he was a club player and he did the same today with zverev, even his pre match comments were disrespectful.
the blsme is with alcaraz coaching team. Somebody needs to grab him by the throat and give his some home truths. way too much showbosting and if he doesnt get a grip he will be the greatest unfulfilled talent ever as he should be winning calendar slams with his talent. But so could alot of other players in the past but what separates the great from ATGs is heart desire and a willingness to die on court. Not seeing that mentality from alcaraz.
Toni nadal would be the perfect coach for him. Has been awful for FAA but for Alcaraz he would deal with that arrogance

You're way off

 

[mcs1970]

It was sustainable for Rafa...

True but Rafa is a bigger guy. Plus even with Nadal many said it was unsustainable early on and that by 27 he would be injury riddled. Rafa turned out to be a freak and kept on going.

Carlos might also turn out to be a freak but his current style of hitting a lot of drop shots shows he clearly doesn’t believe he can do it the Rafa way.

 

[Move]

It happens in other sports too?

Tennis is a very mental game. "It's all in the head" TM Novak Djokovic

 

[FeroBango]

This was his third ever AO guys.

 

[Krish872007]

This was his third ever AO guys.

Logic on TTW? GTF out of here

 

[Mainad]

What happened to Ferrero, why isn't he present for his charge's 1st Slam of the season??

 

[Rozroz]

What happened to Ferrero, why isn't he present for his charge's 1st Slam of the season??

i suspect it's one of the reasons he was lost for most of the match .. these dependent kids..

 

[Keystoner]

What is Blsme and showbosting?

The lexicon is quite the mystery, eh?

 

[Mainad]

What happened to Ferrero, why isn't he present for his charge's 1st Slam of the season??

Answered my own question, he's undergone knee surgery:

Carlos Alcaraz to compete in 2024 Australian Open without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero: Report

Carlos Alcaraz will reportedly be without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero for the upcoming Australian Open.

www.hindustantimes.com

 

[Realfan]

Not to such a high extent. Alcaraz is the first teenage slam winner since Nadal in 2005 and the only teenage no.1 in a supposed super physical era of tennis meant for older men.

This comment confused me. If Alcaraz is the first teenage slam winner in almost 20 years, doesn’t that prove the point that we’re in a super physical era of tennis where older men dominate? It also goes to show how supremely talented Alcaraz is that he could win two GS in this era.

 

[mike danny]

This comment confused me. If Alcaraz is the first teenage slam winner in almost 20 years, doesn’t that prove the point that we’re in a super physical era of tennis where older men dominate? It also goes to show how supremely talented Alcaraz is that he could win two GS in this era.

No, the opposite, because people were saying that there's no way a teenager would win a slam in this era.

 

[neytron]

Zverev, Tsitsipas and Med have been top players for a fair number of years and have been in their prime for a fair number of years as well. If they had had something special to show us, they would have by now.

How can Medvedev be placed on the same level as them?

 

[mike danny]

Like after Cincy he was saying that was the toughest match of his career etc.

Thanks for reminding me to never trust these pros word for word.

 

[mike danny]

How can Medvedev be placed on the same level as them?

Because he still is in their tier and not on a separate one. He's just the most accomplished of the trio, but that's it, he's still more or less on their level.

Him losing 2 slam finals in straights to Novak and especially AO 2022 pretty much prove my point. And he only became no.1 thanks to Novak's deportation, something Tsitsipas could've achieved as well in 2023, as well as Ruud in 2022.

 

[neytron]

Because he still is in their tier and not on a separate one. He's just the most accomplished of the trio, but that's it, he's still more or less on their level.

Him losing 2 slam finals in straights to Novak and especially AO 2022 pretty much prove my point. And he only became no.1 thanks to Novak's deportation, something Tsitsipas could've achieved as well in 2023, as well as Ruud in 2022.

He would have become n.1 after winning USO, if not for the frozen ranking due to covid. He is completely different material than these two, it’s funny to discuss.

 

[a10best]

Everyone though his fh was so big and great then he played Djokovic at Wimbledon and Cincy and old Djoker was on equal footing. Who has the better BH is obvious.
My problem with Alcaraz is he'll hit spectacular shots and misses some routine ones. Maybe it's his age and he'll become Federer-like for 4-5 yrs.
Djokovic will make spectacular gets and not miss the routine rally ball. Maybe he did at 20 yrs old, i forget.

 

[legcramp]

He needs to stop thinking about Djokovic winning everything, I guess we can show him the posts on this forum by some members as an example.

 

[BeatlesFan]

OP, That is one big pile of...

Maybe the OP can enlighten us about the "disrespectful" remarks Carlos made about the domestic batterer. Exact quotes and sources would be helpful (since they don't exist).

 

[nolefam_2024]

He needs to stop thinking about Djokovic winning everything, I guess we can show him the posts on this forum by some members as an example.

Djokovic does not even play full schedule anymore.

 

[thrust]

Think he would benefit by playing more 'within himself'. It's also a matter of personality / mindset i guess. Little bit less crowd pleasing and playing his strengths (physical, speed, stamina) would be better i think. Like Rafa 2005-2008 : first secure defence, probe the opponent, strike when opportunity is there. No constant highlight reel tennis aka showboating& when blasting past your opponent does not work open your arsenal of strokes & tactics. Sinner (2 years older) is better on his way in this aspect of playing matches, he also has another personality which allows him to do this better imo.

I AGREE!

 

[Purestriker]

The lexicon is quite the mystery, eh?

Fits the absurdness of the OP's thread.

 

[Shaolin]

Funny how many idiots come out of the woodwork as soon as a player has a bad day at the office.

Carlos is only 20 and already has 2 slams and been world #1. Fed was 22 before he won his first slam.

He will learn from this and bounce back.

 

[Pheasant]

Alcaraz is a class act. Also, since when is losing a slam QF at age 20 a failure? How many 20-year-olds were incredibly consistent at slams; to a point where you could count on them in slam semis and slam finals every single time?

Let's see here, Alcaraz played his last slam event as a 20-year-old. Here's how his slams went as a 20-year-old:

2023 FO: lost in semis to Djoker, the guy that went on to win that event and the guy that is the current record-holder for slam titles
2023 WI: won the title over Djoker by out-clutching Mr. Clutch. Are you serious?
2023 USO: lost in the semis to Medvedev, a guy that won that event 2 years earlier.
2023 AO: lost in QF to Zverev. Ok. This isn't perfect. Let's call this one a minor hiccup in 4 slam events.

I'm disappointed in this loss. But I'm not one bit disappointed in Alcaraz. There's a big difference.

 

[mike danny]

He would have become n.1 after winning USO, if not for the frozen ranking due to covid. He is completely different material than these two, it’s funny to discuss.

At the end of the day, his number 1 ranking has an asterisk and we can't just assume he would have become no.1 without Covid rankings. Djokovic would have more weeks without Covid as well.

He is not different material than those two. If he were, AO 2021 and AO 2022 would not have happened.

 

[pirhaksar]

Funny how many idiots come out of the woodwork as soon as a player has a bad day at the office.

Carlos is only 20 and already has 2 slams and been world #1. Fed was 22 before he won his first slam.

He will learn from this and bounce back.

True that, and the psychometric analysis on top..lmao. The hubris of some of the posters, what I would call the mugs of TTW posting.

 

[tennisjedi]

Disappointing result for Alcaraz fans, but I do believe he will eventually learn how to improve his rally tolerance and patience.

 

[mike danny]

Funny how many idiots come out of the woodwork as soon as a player has a bad day at the office.

Carlos is only 20 and already has 2 slams and been world #1. Fed was 22 before he won his first slam.

He will learn from this and bounce back.

It doesn't mean he should be absolved on any criticism though. Him thinking about Novak ahead of time is a flaw of his that needs to be corrected as he hasn't yet dominated the rest of the field to be that arrogant.

 

[Shaolin]

It doesn't mean he should be absolved on any criticism though. Him thinking about Novak ahead of time is a flaw of his that needs to be corrected as he hasn't yet dominated the rest of the field to be that arrogant.

Do you have some quote where he said he was thinking about Novak already?

 

[bad1990]

Oh. My. God! CALM DOWN PEOPLE. He's human and young. Zverev played out this world and he had a bad match. It happens . When he's winning everyone is on his jock and saying he's the next GOAT. When he loses everyone is like he's done..."He should retire"..."He's only gonna be a two slam winner" . This is coming from someone who is not a big fan of Alcaraz. Respect him, but not a fan.

 

[The Guru]

At the end of the day, his number 1 ranking has an asterisk and we can't just assume he would have become no.1 without Covid rankings. Djokovic would have more weeks without Covid as well.

He is not different material than those two. If he were, AO 2021 and AO 2022 would not have happened.

Suggesting that Medvedev has not separated himself from Tsitsipas is an all time bad comment from you

 

[mike danny]

Do you have some quote where he said he was thinking about Novak already?

Isn't everyone pretty much saying this? They can provide you with quotes.

 

[mike danny]

Suggesting that Medvedev has not separated himself from Tsitsipas is an all time bad comment from you

He has, but he's still Next Gen level, he isn't on a whole other tier. He still messed up like Tsitsipas has.

 

[mahatma]

He has, but he's still Next Gen level, he isn't on a whole other tier. He still messed up like Tsitsipas has.

No he hasn’t. Having a slam, world #1 and 5 slam finals + winning multiple masters including one on clay that even Federer didn’t win

Without a doubt tier above Tsitsipas. He is a perennial semis / finals of a slam player for some time now

 

[The Guru]

He has, but he's still Next Gen level, he isn't on a whole other tier. He still messed up like Tsitsipas has.

He's absolutely on a different tier. In the tournaments you cited as Medvedev's greatest failures he still comprehensively beat Tsitsipas in those events if that doesn't say it all I don't know what would.

 

[pirhaksar]

It doesn't mean he should be absolved on any criticism though. Him thinking about Novak ahead of time is a flaw of his that needs to be corrected as he hasn't yet dominated the rest of the field to be that arrogant.

Alternatively if I want to be the best I have to think and prepare like the best. That’s the mentality these grade A alphas carry, that’s what sustains them, that’s what motivates them. Raz is just 20 is excitable, emotional and wants to be the showman. He will learn how to harness all of this into a powerhouse in the coming years (if no physical concerns). It’s extremely unfair and ludicrous to psycho analyze him. Criticize his form or tactics or play.. that’s fair game. He lost today because he was outplayed by a zoning Zed not because of his thoughts