‘Carlos Alcaraz’s team needs to focus less on money and more on titles and the rankings’, says tennis icon

Ewan West 07 Jan 2025 2:05 PM

Carlos Alcaraz looks on at the ATP Finals

Tennis legend Boris Becker has called for Carlos Alcaraz’s team to focus “less on money and more on titles and the world rankings” in a brutally honest verdict on the Spaniard.

The six-time Grand Slam champion described Alcaraz as “a diva on the court in a positive sense” and also branded the 21-year-old’s tournament schedule in 2024 as “bad.”

Alcaraz ended the 2024 campaign as the world No 3, behind Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, after compiling a 54-13 (80.6%) record.

The peak of Alcaraz’s season came in the summer as he secured his maiden French Open crown and defended his Wimbledon title.

The Spaniard also won the Indian Wells Masters and the China Open, while he collected a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

Alcaraz played 16 standard tournaments last year and also competed at the Laver Cup, as well as the Davis Cup Finals group and knockout stages. He also featured in the Netflix Slam exhibition match against Rafael Nadal in March.

The four-time major winner flew to the United States to play exhibition matches in New York and Charlotte on December 4 and 6.

Carlos Alcaraz News

Where will Sinner, Alcaraz, & Djokovic land? Australian Open men’s singles draw questions

Andy Roddick assesses Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner’s best surfaces and gives ‘machine’ verdict

In the first episode of the newly-launched Becker Petkovic podcast in which Becker joins forces with former WTA star Andrea Petkovic, the German icon did not hold back as he assessed Alcaraz’s 2024 season.

“He had a bad tournament schedule in 2024 because he played far too much,” the former world No 1 said.

“Carlos is a diva on the court in a positive sense, a true artist. But you can only let him out when it really counts. He has to be on fire when he goes on the court. You don’t want to see an average Alcaraz, you want to see someone who is at 100 percent.

“His team needs to focus less on the money and more on titles and the world rankings. Sure, he gets seven-figure appearance fees for show fights in the off-season, but coaches and managers simply have to protect him better.”

Alcaraz will begin his 2025 season at the Australian Open, which will be held from January 12 to 26. The world No 3 can become the youngest male player to complete the career Grand Slam if he triumphs at Melbourne Park.