Former world No 2 reveals key match where Carlos Alcaraz ‘learned’ how to win Grand Slam titles
Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open semi-final win over Jannik Sinner was where he “learned” how to win Grand Slam titles, according to former world No 2 Alex Corretja.
World No 3 Alcaraz has been the dominant player of the summer so far, winning his first title at Roland Garros before downing Novak Djokovic to complete a successful defence of his Wimbledon crown.
Those victories have seen him double his Slam tally from two to four, moving above the likes of Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka in the all-time standings.
The 21-year-old is undoubtedly the form player on tour, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing in both title runs.
Alcaraz was two sets to one down in his French Open semi-final versus current world No 1 Sinner, though battled back to win in five sets.
The Spaniard spoke on court afterwards about finding “the joy in suffering” and channelled that mantra again in the final, beating Alexander Zverev from a similar deficit.
Alcaraz was again two sets to one down in the third round of Wimbledon to Frances Tiafoe, and a set down to Tommy Paul and Daniil Medvedev in his quarter and semi-final matches respectively.
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But the Spaniard came through all those tests and, speaking on Spanish TV, two-time French Open finalist Corretja claimed his Sinner win was key in changing his mentality.
“Carlos Alcaraz’s victory over Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros semi-final was a real spark for him. Knowing how to stay calm has changed the most in Carlos Alcaraz in recent weeks,” said Corretja.
“There is a before and after the Roland Garros semi-final, when he beat Sinner after being down two sets to one. That day he learned that it is with suffering and fortitude that you can win Grand Slam tournaments.
“When he did not play his best tennis, he first thought it was not enough to win this kind of tournaments – but now he is realizing that even without playing his best tennis he can still get to the finals of the Slam and then win them.”
All eyes will now be on how Alcaraz fares this summer, with the Spaniard riding into a busy summer with plenty of momentum.
He will make his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Games in two weeks, playing singles and pairing up with Rafael Nadal in the doubles, before he attempts to win a second US Open title.
Though only ranked as the world No 3 behind Sinner and Djokovic, there is a looming sense that Alcaraz is ahead of the rest of the field right now, and is a significant favourite in both Paris and New York.