Carlos Alcaraz: Roger Federer’s ex-coach reveals where Spaniard ‘lost joy’ in 2024

Oli Dickson Jefford 23 Nov 2024 9:49 AM

Carlos Alcaraz Paul Annacone.

Carlos Alcaraz “lost a little bit of joy” after his Olympic Games final defeat, according to former ATP star and Roger Federer’s ex-coach Paul Annacone.

World No 3 Alcaraz was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the Olympic final in Paris, with the Spaniard forced to settle for a silver medal at Roland Garros.

That came following a hugely successful summer for the 21-year-old, who captured his first French Open title in June before successfully defending his Wimbledon crown the following month.

However, Alcaraz’s Olympics loss was followed by a loss to Gael Monfils in his opening Cincinnati Open match, before he was stunned by Botic van de Zandschulp in round two of the US Open.

The Spaniard rebounded with successful Laver Cup and China Open campaigns, though his initial dip in form after Paris 2024 was noticeable.

And, speaking on the Inside-In Podcast, Federer and Pete Sampras’s former coach Annacone believes his defeat to Djokovic had a significant impact.

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He said: “You have to find what motivates you and stick with it. And I think Carlos Alcaraz is a joyful player. I think this year he lost a little bit of that joy, for a multitude of reasons.

“I think one of his greatest accomplishments was one of the biggest obstacles he had to overcome this year, which was getting ‘only’ a silver medal.

“That’s a great accomplishment, but I think it broke his heart a little bit at the Olympics, and I think it messed him up a little bit for the rest of the summer.”

Alcaraz also struggled towards the rest of the season following his run to a fourth title of 2024 in Beijing.

The Spaniard was beaten in the quarter-final of the Shanghai Masters and round three of the Paris Masters, before a group-stage exit at the ATP Finals in Turin.

His season came to a close this week in Malaga, with Spain beaten by the Netherlands in a surprise quarter-final result at the Davis Cup Finals.

Only chief rival Jannik Sinner won more ATP Tour singles titles than Alcaraz in 2024, though the Spaniard is only at world No 3 in the ATP Rankings.

Alexander Zverev sits in between him and world No 1 Sinner, with the 21-year-old struggling with consistency during parts of the season.

Alcaraz’s ranking means he could well find himself on the same side of the draw as Sinner at the Australian Open next January.