Ferrero reveals Alcaraz's 15-day training camp focused on Sinner
Two months ago, Carlos Alcaraz fell to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final and there was plenty to think about. The Spaniard had beaten Sinner for the Roland Garros trophy, but needed to save three championship points to do so.
Then at the grass-court major, Sinner triumphed in four sets to claim his fourth Slam trophy and pull to within one of his rival. Alcaraz had plenty to think about, and that is exactly what he did according to coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“I think it was very important, because we maybe practised for 15 days, very focused on the details that we have to improve to play against Jannik,” said Ferrero, who revealed that they reviewed those matches. “We know that in this kind of surface, on hard courts, Jannik is always very difficult to play and [is] winning a lot of matches. I think it helped a lot, because he realised what he has to improve a lot, and I was very focused on it.”
Alcaraz was ready for the US Open final, a winner-takes-all clash for the season’s final major trophy as well as World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. The 22-year-old produced a nearly flawless performance to beat the top seed 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in two hours and 42 minutes.
“I think we prepared the match very good, watching some matches and seeing the specific details we had to play. Carlos did 100 per cent [of what he needed to]. It’s easy to say and very difficult to do it,” Ferrero said. “The performance today was perfect. I think he compromised [with] himself to go for the match all the time, tried to put pressure on the rival sooner than Jannik. I think it’s one of the keys.
“I think these guys hit the ball, both of them, very, very fast, and I think who hits first takes the advantage on points. Carlos has maybe more variety [in] his game, and he can do more, like slice, go to the net, and do more things than maybe Jannik. But I think it helps a lot to change a little bit the way of the game.”
One thing that helped Alcaraz throughout the tournament, including in the championship match, was tremendous serving. The champion won 98 of 101 service games in the tournament and faced just one break point against the Italian, who converted his lone opportunity.
“I think in this moment it’s maybe the moment that he has more improvement in his serve, and it’s been very useful on the court, and in important moments he’s using it a lot,” Ferrero said. “During all Cincinnati and also during all US Open, I think the serve is one of the keys to win the tournaments, for sure.”
Ferrero recalled that Alcaraz has worn a wide smile across his face since he was 12 or 13 years old — with the exception of difficult moments on court. But that joie de vivre was clear inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, where he thrilled the crowd en route to his sixth major title.
“We’re talking all the time that he has to try to have joy on the court all the time and try to be not too stressed on the court and try to go for the points,” Ferrero said. “The way he plays, I think it’s a little bit easier than maybe [for] others.”
It might not have been easy for Alcaraz on Sunday, but he improved to 10-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sinner and by doing so split the season’s four majors with the Italian.
“I would say that the match was perfect for Carlos,” Ferrero said. “And the performance was unbelievable.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]