At Roland Garros,
Nothing better to start a paper than throwing out a good old cliché about families: it’s the great matches that make the great players. And the one who advances Friday, in the semi-final of Roland-Garros, between Novak Djokovic, 36, world number 3 and 22 grand slams on the clock, and Carlos Alcaraz, sixteen years his junior, number one del mundo and one GC on the list, has everything of an opposition for history. The old against the new world, the transfer of power against the absolute record, this Djoko-Alcaraz should be both rich in lessons and in spectacle, in a tournament which has so far lacked epic battles in five sets.
From there, it might seem a little premature to pass the ointment to Carlos Alcaraz, especially if “Nole” decides that the next generation will wait. And yet, what the young Spaniard has shown since his arrival on the pro circuit in 2021, and especially what he has sent since the start of the season and on this tournament, leaves little doubt about the nature of the phenomenon. One only had to look at the livid face of Tsitsipas, number 5 relegated to the rank of junior, Tuesday evening, after what should be called a BDSM session in mondovision, to understand the violence of the fanatic .
“We are not yet used to what he does but I think we will hear about it for a long time because he can make a career like Nadal, Djokovic or Federer. If his physique doesn’t let go and he manages not to hurt himself too much, it’s going to be a very, very big one. Tennistically speaking, he is already as strong as the big three, especially at his age. He has a crazy tennis IQ, incredible technique, physical power, speed and a great thirst for winning”, list, admiring, Loïc Courtaud, the former emblematic coach of Amélie Mauresmo.
Sometimes attacker, sometimes defender or service-volleyball player, Alcaraz does not bother with labels and gradually develops before our eyes the concept of the “total player”, according to Patrick Mouratoglou, the coach of young Holger Rune, beaten in the quarterfinals by Casper Ruud . “He knows how to do everything on a court, admires the former coach of Serena Williams. Beyond his power, he is also capable of serving and volleying, getting to the net and making devastating drop shots. In addition to that he is an extraordinary fighter, there is not a match that he has let go since the beginning of his career, where then I missed him. »
An (almost) perfect mix of Federer, Nadal and Rafa, really?
Fed up at the matches of the three monsters of the circuit, Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, Alcaraz seems to have drawn the best from each to form, at only 20 years old, a kind of ultimate player, if that is God possible. “It’s a mix of Nadal upstairs and Federer downstairs, in his speed of movement, with also a bit of Djokovic in the counter-attacking side”, confirms Courteau. From a parentage point of view, Patrick Mouratoglou leans more towards Federer than Nadal, with whom everyone insists on comparing her.
“Carlos has this animal side that Roger didn’t have. Roger was perfection, ease, Alcaraz is animal when he plays. But his style and his commitment make me think more of Roger than of Rafa for example, he decides. Apart from being Spaniard, being physical and a fighter, he has nothing in common with Nadal, who was a pure defender when he arrived on the circuit. He gradually built up an attacking game because he wanted to improve, but he’s not a natural striker like Alcaraz is. »
If he also concedes to get closer to the Swiss than to the Majorcan, Alcaraz does not want “to be the replacement for anyone”, he just wants to “build (his) own story”. So let’s stop once and for all these futile and clumsy paternity tests. If he does not want to be anyone other than himself, he does not want to limit himself to a style of play, unlike what we see today on the circuit.
Loïc Courteau: “Most players, even the very good ones, all play in a more or less stereotyped way, we pretty much know how they are going to play and where they are going to put the ball. Afterwards, they do it very, very well, that’s why they are strong. But I find it unsurprising. When you see Alcaraz today, he manages to surprise everyone, you never know, even until the last moment, the shot that will come out of his racket. And that drives opponents crazy. Already beaten by the Murcian in the final in Barcelona, in April, Stefanos Tsitsipas had come out almost traumatized.
“I find it hard to believe that he is at 60%”
“He already has all the panoply of the great champion, continues Courteau. Honestly, I don’t see any flaws in him, which is very rare, if not ever seen, at that age. Normally at 19, 20, you have a lot to work on, we don’t really see what he can add to his palette, he has an absolutely impressive tennis maturity”. If he more or less shares the opinion of our specialists concerning his player, Juan-Carlos Ferrero recently declared that Alcaraz was still only at 60% of his potential, well 70, did he finally concede before the start of the season on land. From what we have seen since the start of his career – apart from a youthful hiccup against Hugo Gaston in a levitating Bercy behind the Frenchman and a surprising defeat against the unknown Maroszan, in Rome, a month ago – it’s hard to imagine that he still has 40% of his talent hidden behind the crockery buffet.
Doubts shared by Patrick Mouratoglou. “Juan-Carlos knows his player better than I do, there’s no doubt about that, but I find it hard to believe he’s at 60%. I have never seen such a young and complete player, explains the coach of Rune. What more should he learn? Not much, in my opinion. I don’t see in which sector he would have much room for improvement. He is already number 1 in the world and he is an archi-complete player who can do everything on a court (laughs)! I feel like it’s more of a figure of speech than saying that. I would rather say that it is at 95%. »
“I agree with Ferrero, announces Loïc Courteau. Because he has the ardor of his youth and he can easily get carried away by his emotions, by the fact of wanting to do a little too much. Afterwards, we say 60%… It’s mainly to say that all of this will take shape over time, he won’t be able to run much faster or serve much stronger tomorrow, it’s mainly in the choice of good shots, in the way of approaching major meetings psychologically, not getting inflamed, it’s all these little things that will be put in place little by little. »
A problematic lack of competition?
Beyond the management of his physique and the inherent risk of injury implied by such an outpouring of energy on the pitch, the other question may lie in an external factor. That of competition. It is not insignificant that the only three players in history to have managed to win more than 20 Grand Slams each did so at the same time. “It is obvious that the great champions need to be challenged to move forward and progress,” agrees Courteau.
“Federer, Djokovic and Nadal were constantly pulling each other up. Alcaraz, he does not really have a rival, even if there is still Djoko, but otherwise the others, the youngest, are not yet at the level, he continues. I’m not saying that they won’t become so in the next few years, I’m thinking in particular of Rune, but it will be difficult to find such competition at the highest level. Now, what is Alcaraz’s will? Does he want to make tennis history like the other three? On paper, Alcaraz has already answered it. It was in Madrid, last April, after his victory in quarter against Kachanov. “My dream is to become one of the best players in history. It’s my big dream, maybe it’s too big. But in this world, you have to dream big. “The PSG validates that 1000%.