Carlos Alcaraz urged to create ‘own identity’ by former ATP Tour star
Former ATP Tour star Paolo Lorenzi believes that Carlos Alcaraz needs to forge “his own identity, his own style of play” to continue his success in the sport.
Alcaraz is only 21 but has already forged one of the most successful careers in modern tennis history.
The Spaniard has already spent 36 weeks as the world No 1 – being the youngest No 1 in ATP history – and has four Grand Slam titles to his name, having already completed the ‘Surface Slam’.
Should Alcaraz win the Australian Open in 2026 or 2027, he would become the youngest man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam, and just the sixth man in the Open Era to win all four majors.
Despite his continued success, Alcaraz has sometimes faced criticism for his tactical approach and for failing to maintain a consistent level within matches or tournaments.
This concern has recently been raised by former world No 33 Lorenzi, who retired from the sport in 2021.
Speaking on Italian TV channel Super Tennis, the 43-year-old expressed his belief that Alcaraz “still doesn’t have” his own reliable style of play.
He said: “He should have his own identity, his own style of play that is always the same and superior to other players outside the world’s top 20 and when he lights up, he can beat Sinner and play at his best.
“He still doesn’t have that identity, like when he plays against players ranked around 100 in the world.
“Then he often wins them because he has the qualities to do so. But there is really no continuity during his matches.”
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Alcaraz is currently in action at the Rotterdam Open, where he has unsurprisingly been making the headlines.
The Spaniard’s indoor struggles looked set to continue early on against Botic van de Zandschulp – the man who beat him at the US Open last summer.
However, the top seed battled past the Dutchman 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 in his opening round and then breezed past qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-2, 6-1 in the second round.
During his victory against the Italian, he produced a behind-the-back flick shot that has attracted a huge reaction across social media.
Alcaraz will face compatriot Pedro Martinez in Friday’s quarter-final, after his fellow Spaniard shocked fifth seed Holger Rune 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday.
The winner of that quarter-final will go on to face 4th seed Andrey Rublev or eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz.
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