Boris Becker claims that Carlos Alcaraz has stagnated and will seek coaching shakeup

Boris Becker has claimed that Carlos Alcaraz has not progressed as much as other players in the second half of 2023.
Alcaraz was unable to win a title after his historic Wimbledon triumph but still ended the season as world No 2 with six titles to his name.
His season ended with defeat to Djokovic in the ATP Finals last four.and Becker says that his struggles show how hard it is to be the best in the world.
“Why is that? Duelling with Djokovic, becoming No. 1 in the world and winning Wimbledon for the first time – maintaining this level is the most difficult thing in tennis,” Becker told Eurosport.
“Anyone can have a good tournament or a good year from time to time, but maintaining that level over the years is the real challenge.
“My favourite saying in this context is: ‘The locker room never sleeps’. It means that the other players have realised how you have to play against Alcaraz to have a chance against him. That’s what happened. Other players have developed and Alcaraz hasn’t.”
However, when it came to his outlook for 2024, Becker believed there would be a response from Alcaraz.
He suggested that Alcaraz would seek some form of coaching shakeup in the off-season to mount a big challenge in Melbourne in January.
The German believes that Alcaraz is great for tennis as one of the most entertaining players on the circuit.
“He continues to play fantastic tennis,” Becker added.
“I love watching him play tennis at its best with his footwork, his variation, his serve and his forehand.
“But the top players have adapted to this and know how to counter it. I’m convinced that Alcaraz will now train something new or different with Juan Carlos Ferrero in the winter and improve.
“Their task is to further develop his strengths. And I’m also convinced that we’ll see a very strong Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open 2024.”
American tennis coach Rick Macci is an enthusiastic admirer of Alcaraz and backed him to brak double figures in Grand Slam wins.
“Alcaraz, we’ve never seen anything like this,” Macci said, on the Match Point Canada podcast.
“We’ve never seen it.
“He is a combination of, I tell everybody, [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, Djokovic and [Andre] Agassi, all wrapped in one.
“He has make-up speed like no other. Once he hits that other gear his turbo speed is amazing.
“He has a drop shot from outer space. He has missed more drop shots as a kid than anybody who has played tennis because he has tried more – and whoever coached him as a kid would not discourage that.
“I think he is going to get such a bucket of Grand Slams, it’s unreal. I feel, in my opinion, he is by far, the leader in the clubhouse.”
Alcaraz will not start his season at the United Cup and, in fact has opted against entering any events before the Australian Open where he will inaugurate his 2024 campaign.
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