Juan Carlos Ferrero addresses if Carlos Alcaraz’s goal to break Novak Djokovic records is a good thing

Ewan West
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has shared his opinion on whether the Spaniard’s goal to break the records of Novak Djokovic is a positive or negative thing.

The former world No 1 explained Alcaraz’s bold targets are “objectives that he has in the very long term” and he admitted it will be “really complicated” to achieve them.

Ahead of his appearance at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires last week, Alcaraz reiterated his big ambitions by declaring that Djokovic’s record major total is something that occupies his mind.

“Obviously, I keep thinking about Nole’s 24 Grand Slams, that’s clear, but right now Djokovic and [Jannik] Sinner I think are the players to beat: they are at a very high level that few people can beat them,” he told Ole.

“But since I’m a very ambitious guy and I always want to think big, and I dream big, obviously Djokovic’s 24 is a goal at the end of my career. Now let’s wait to see where I get to, because maybe I get to five, maybe I stay at two.

“However, it is something that is inevitable to think about. I am very competitive and that is also what drives me to the highest level to try to be at the same level as the Big Three. The truth is that I dream big.”

World No 2 Alcaraz, who will turn 21 in May, has won two Grand Slam titles, having triumphed at the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.

Djokovic has won a men’s record of 24 major titles, while Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer sit second and third on the all-time list with 22 and 20 respectively.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz weighs in on GOAT debate after Rafael Nadal’s Novak Djokovic claim

In an interview with Clay Tenis, Ferrero was asked whether Alcaraz’s insistence that his goal is to surpass the lofty accomplishments of Djokovic was a good or bad thing.

“It is neither positive nor negative, they are objectives that he has in the very long term, we know the difficulty that something like that requires. It comes from the character that he has to think very big,” the Spaniard said.

“That he can get it? He knows that it is really complicated, he has to do things super, super well to achieve the objectives. It’s something that he has, what he thinks about and what makes him think that he can achieve something like that, it drives him mentally. Welcome to that.”

The 2003 French Open champion then addressed whether he thinks Alcaraz will have achieved his huge goals by 2039.

“(Laughs) These are answers that I can’t give you, I live day by day, the day to day improvement. The day-to-day improvement, that I would like to? Yes, that you are going to achieve it? It’s a very complicated thing. Who can say for sure,” Ferrero continued.

“I think that with the players that there are now and will be, the competitiveness between them will be quite close. I don’t know, I really don’t know.”

Ferrero was also asked whether Alcaraz would return to play the ‘golden swing’ of clay-court events in South America as his contract with the Rio Open expires after the 2024 edition.

“I can’t answer that, it’s something we’ll see later, but it’s true that at some point I’d like him to go on the fast court tour, he can do it very well,” he said.

“And you don’t change the surface after Australia and then change again and then go back to clay. At some point we will change.”

During his first round match against Brazilian Thiago Monteiro at the ATP 500 tournament in Rio on Tuesday, Alcaraz retired after just two games after rolling his ankle on the second point of the match.

READ MORE: What Carlos Alcaraz’s Rio misfortune means for Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner in ATP Rankings race