Despite his great youth, Carlos Alcaraz understands that the best way to access success is by maintaining his mental capacity at 100%. The young Spanish tennis player, 19 years old and current number two in the world, explained how he tries to work on the mental aspect when he is on court.
“Both my team and I know how important the psychological side is. In the end, hard moments and adversities will appear in a game, you must be prepared to overcome and give your best level before that. I am clear about how I should go out on the track: enjoying myself.
I enjoy playing tennis, and thanks to smiling and having a good time is when I get my best game, and it’s what I try to do from the first point to the last. This is what I also work on off the track, in training: overcome adversity and do something to try to smile.
When I smile, my problems go away, the pressures go away and that’s what’s important,” said Alcaraz after he reached the semifinals of the Argentina Open. Carlitos is returning to the circuit in great shape with victories over the Serbs Laslo Djere and Dusan Ljaovic, waiting to face his compatriot Bernabé Zapata Miralles in the run-up to the final.
Precisely about the adaptation that he has had in the ATP 250 of Argentina, he indicated: “Every week in tennis is different, even every day. That is the difficult thing about being a tennis player: having to get used to the circumstances that arise in a short time.
That differentiates the very good from the rest: overcome adversity. Coming from a climate with a lot of heat, a lot of humidity, to a very cold one… You have to adapt as best as possible, and I think that’s what I’ve done”.
“I adapted to the cold, to the wind and I gave a good performance against it. It is what must be done, “he added in statements taken up by ‘Punto de Break’ Are you surprised by the mental strength that Carlos Alcaraz shows at 19 years of age?v
Antonio Cascales opens up on Alcaraz
Known for having trained Juan Carlos Ferrero, the current coach of Carlos Alcaraz, and having reached the world number one spot alongside him in 2003, Antonio Cascales has since joined the team of the last winner of the US Open as second trainer alongside his former colt.
Asked by the Argentine daily La Nacion as the current 2nd player in the world qualified for the semi-finals of the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, Cascales acknowledged that the game and style of “Charly” was much closer of that of Roger Federer than of Rafael Nadal with whom Alcaraz is constantly compared, especially in Spain.
“Carlos looks more like Roger Federer than Rafael Nadal, no doubt. He’s more like Federer in terms of creativity of the game. But then, in terms of attitude on the pitch, he’s a bit closer to Rafa, no doubt.”
