Roger Federer’s former coach says what broke Carlos Alcaraz’s heart this year and ‘messed up’ his season

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Tennis coach Paul Annacone named the moment where Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 season took a somewhat downward turn.

The 21-year-old was in the middle of a very successful summer after becoming the sixth man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back.

He was on a mission to complete a historic treble by winning the Olympic gold medal, something Rafael Nadal achieved in 2008 and Steffi Graf 20 years earlier.

But standing in his way of winning his debut Games was Novak Djokovic, who was on a mission to finally become Olympic champion, and the pair proceeded to produce one of the best matches of the year.

What does Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone think ‘messed up’ Carlos Alcaraz’s season?

The summer of 2024 was a challenging period for Alcaraz both physically and mentally, as he played the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics in the space of two months.

After claiming the clay court Grand Slam for the first time and successfully defending the title in SW19, Alcaraz had his sights set on Olympic gold and was the favourite to stand on the top step of the podium.

But the Serbian had other ideas as Djokovic produced a vintage performance to vanquish Alcaraz 7-6, 7-6 and add the missing title to his glittering resume. Alcaraz was distraught and was in tears on court after a crushing result.

Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone thinks this moment was a turning point in the Spaniard’s campaign, and he was not the same player for the rest of the season.

“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,” Annacone told Tennis Channel.

“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.”

Carlos Alcaraz ends 2024 season with crushing defeats at ATP Finals and Davis Cup

Following the Olympics, Alcaraz suffered early losses in Cincinnati and the US Open, before returning to form in the Davis Cup group stages, Laver Cup and winning the China Open.

But a quarter-final defeat to Tomas Machac in Shanghai followed, before another loss at the Paris Masters, at the hands of Ugo Humbert.

Alcaraz did not get through to the semi-finals at the ATP Finals following defeats to Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev, before Spain suffered a crushing defeat to The Netherlands in the Davis Cup. This brought an end to Nadal’s career, which left Alcaraz and his Spanish teammates devastated.

“I think that he was one of the best ambassadors for tennis; his legacy is going to be eternal,” Alcaraz said of Nadal in a press conference after Spain’s Davis Cup loss.

“He has been great for tennis, for this sport in general. It is difficult, at least for me. I don’t want to think that I should continue the legacy that he has left.

“It is difficult, almost impossible. I will try to do my best, but right now, it’s time to say just great things about Rafa, what he has done during his career. I think he has said everything, but the way he left tennis, it is incredible.”