Carlos Alcaraz gets blunt advice from former world No 1 after Novak Djokovic defeat
Carlos Alcaraz has been told he needs to find ‘more structure’ in his game if he wants to move to the next level.
The French Open and Wimbledon champion was a strong favourite to beat Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday, but he was outplayed by a majestic opponent as he lost 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
Alcaraz produced moments of pure magic, but he could not maintain his levels of excellence to get the better of Djokovic and former world No 1 Jim Courier believes that is an an area he needs to improve.
“I would like to see slightly more structure with Alcaraz,” Courier told Eurosport.
“He has the ability to dazzle us with the unexpected but a little bit more structure against everybody will make him a more consistent player.
“I’d say, that his best day is probably the best day of anyone in men’s tennis right now. But his worst day is a level below Novak and Sinner, and that’s what he needs to lift up.
“These matches are exceptions to the rule. He can’t play normal tennis and beat Novak. He’s not as experienced as Novak is, but Novak wasn’t at his age either.
“These hard lessons teach you how to navigate these situations. We’ve seen him learn how to play through physical duress. But dealing with an injured player, going out of their normal zone tactically, how do you adjust to that?
“These are lessons he’ll pick up and hopefully make him a better player.”
Alcaraz was brutally honest in his post-match analysis, as he suggested he didn’t push Djokovic enough when he was in control of the match.
“I felt like I was controlling the match and I let him get into the match again. I’m going to say that was the biggest mistake that I made today,” said Alcaraz.
“In the second set, I had to play a little bit better, just to push him even more to the limit. After that, I think he started to feel better and playing at such a great level.
“That was my biggest mistake today. But obviously, when Novak is at this level, it’s really difficult.
“I think I had my chances. It was a really close match. I think most of the crucial points, it went to his side. I mean, when Novak is playing at this level, it’s really difficult to find the way.
“When you are seeing someone that is struggling physically a little bit, it’s kind of you not playing the same level. It seems like, okay, it’s going to be easier.
“At the same time in your mind you’re thinking, like, ‘Okay, I have not to make mistakes’. Probably you’re not hitting the ball the same way that you were hitting before. I think that’s it.”
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Alcaraz tried to find silver linings in his defeat, as he insisted he will learn from his latest meeting with Djokovic.
“We play great, great matches every time that we play against each other,” added Alcaraz
“We push each other to the limit. I think we played great points, great rallies [today]. It was really tight in the third, in the fourth set. The whole match, I guess.
“I’m just lucky to live this experience. I’m 21 years old. From these matches, I’m getting so much experience about how to deal with everything. I’m not going to hide.
“I’ve done great things in tennis already but playing against one of the best in history of our sport, these kinds of matches help me a lot in the future to be better.”
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