Home » Expert: “Carlos Alcaraz will not make that error.”

In Rio, Carlos Alcaraz missed the opportunity to win a second straight championship and fell short of Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings. The 19-year-old Spaniard was leading Cameron Norrie by a set and a break in the final, but his body failed him when he needed it most, forcing him to make an unanticipated and humiliating return.

Beginning in the second set, “Carlitos” experienced a rather severe discomfort in the same leg muscle that had previously given him trouble earlier in the year. Recall that he had to miss the 2023 Australian Open due to the issue, which cost him first place in the standings to Djokovic.

The protégé of Juan Carlos Ferrero is anticipated to compete in the ATP 500 this week in Acapulco, but given the circumstances, his participation in the Mexican competition is highly questioned. Alcaraz was encouraged to take care of his physique and perfect his programming in the most recent episode of the Court-Side with Beilinson Tennis podcast by well-known journalist and Hall of Fame member Steve Flink.

Steve Flink introduces Alcaraz.

“We could tell (he) has got an issue there, a significant issue – trying to play through it,” Flink remarked on the ‘Court-Side with Beilinson Tennis’ podcast. Just let’s hope Carlos Alcaraz makes sensible scheduling decisions for the upcoming month.

I sincerely hope he won’t attempt to complete these three weeks in a row before continuing on to Acapulco. That may be a risky course of action. I have a good feeling he won’t make that error,” Flink said. “Carlos has to actually pace himself through the years. It’s not even just a matter of thinking about this near-term,” he added.

He’s clearly a very fit young man, but he needs to take things slow because he’s had a lot of problems with his physique. And like the other three idols of this generation, we want to see him playing this game far into his 30s.

That can only happen if he receives sensible advice and is prepared to say “No” on occasion. I’m going to save myself by putting my racquet down for a few weeks. Brad Gilbert, a former coach of Andre Agassi, recently expressed his disbelief if Carlos Alcaraz did not win another Grand Slam championship within the next five years.

I wouldn’t be at all astonished if you told me five years from now that he had won six or seven Slams, Gilbert remarked. “It might be 10 or it might be fewer. Certainly, luck—injuries—is a significant part as well.

He plays so forcefully. But I would be completely stunned if you told me in five years that he only had one Slam “Added he.