Carlos Alcaraz has changed something in his game that he did not even tell coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
The 21-year-old is an innovative tennis player who plays some of the most spectacular shots ever seen on court.
His shotmaking and the flair he brings to the game makes him one of the most exciting players to watch and at his best he is nearly unstoppable.
But he is currently struggling to find his best tennis as Alcaraz suffered a straight sets defeat to Casper Ruud in the first round robin match at the ATP Finals.
What has Carlos Alcaraz changed about his game that he did not tell his coach?
Carlos Alcaraz’s game is built on his power, aggression, elite athleticism and supreme skills at the net.
It is very difficult to locate a weakness in his game, and he is always finding ways to improve and feel more comfortable on court.
That explains why the Spaniard changed the way he sets up to hit his backhand, and when asked about it by a journalist after losing to Ruud in Turin, Alcaraz admitted it was not a change discussed with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“That’s a good eye!,” Alcaraz said to the reporter who spotted the change. “I am a player who makes changes without working on them. I didn’t speak to Juan Carlos or anyone else. I just started to feel comfortable doing it.
“Without thinking I just started doing it and it started to feel good. I don’t know in the Asian swing for example, in Beijing and the Davis Cup I started to do it differently, the preparation and it felt great.
“Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad but I do changes without practicing at all. I don’t know if I’ll practice it or change it, but it’s pretty difficult when you don’t have time to do something different between tournaments because you don’t have time but I did do it a bit differently.”
Carlos Alcaraz under pressure at ATP Finals in Turin
Many expected Alcaraz to commence his 2024 ATP Finals campaign with a victory.
The four-time Grand Slam winner took on Ruud, who he had beaten in each of their four previous meetings.
But he produced a shocking first set, in which he made under 50% of his first serves, hit just six winners, registered 15 unforced errors and converted none of five break points.
He improved in set two and served for it at 5-3, but Ruud broke back and proceeded to win four successive games to win the match as more errors flowed from Alcaraz’s racket.
Alcaraz went on to lose 1-6, 5-7 in 70 minutes to claim his first victory against Alcaraz and just his second win since the US Open.
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