Carlos Alcaraz—A tennis legend in the making

Twenty-one-year-old Carlos Alcaraz Garfia of Spain has got tennis pundits all over the world talking about him after he chalked up an impressive triumph in the French Open tennis championship recently. He grew up idolizing his countryman Rafael Nadal at the peak of his career. But at Roland Garros, Carlos Alcaraz outdid even his boyhood hero.

After winning the French Open, Carlos became the youngest player to win the Majors on three surfaces. The previous record was held by Nadal. The former champion was among the first to congratulate the new champion. Carlos had earlier won the US Open on hard court in 2022 and the Wimbledon on grass in 2023 and this time he added a clay court title to his tally.

Legend in the making

Several experts have voiced the opinion that the world is seeing a tennis legend in the making. In the open era, Alcaraz is the first player to win his first three Majors on three different surfaces. Carlos is also the eighth Spaniard to win the French Open title. One of his predecessors, Juan Ferrero, is now his coach.

So what are the qualities that make this player from Spain a champion with a great future? To get an answer to this question, this correspondent spoke to one of Hyderabad’s most experienced and knowledgeable coaches, Praveen Bhargava. Over a period of 40 years Praveen has coached many young players including Sania Mirza when she played her first junior Grand Slam event. Praveen is also the Secretary of the Hyderabad District Tennis Association and Director / Chief Coach of the Ace Tennis Academy.

Super fit

“One of Carlos Alcaraz’s assets is that he is super fit. In modern day tennis you need an extremely high level of fitness. That is his first big weapon. Secondly, he is a very controlled player. He does not allow his emotions or the pressure to overcome him. In every match he is focussed and stable,” said Bhargava to Siasat.com.

“Like Djokovic, young Carlos also has the ability to change gears when it matters most. At crucial junctures, he can move his game up by a notch. He pulls out a hidden deposit of stamina and speed which is awesome to behold,” said Bhargava.

“But physical aspects are not the only things that he relies on. He has superb skills too. The way he can disguise his drops is breathtaking. In the French Open final, I could see that his opponent Alexander Zverev was caught unawares whenever Carlos executed his deceptive drop shots.”

Master of tactics

“He can also employ different tactics. He can play a baseline game and has very powerful forehand shots. Talent-wise he has got all that is needed. For his future career, he must ensure that he remains injury free. Many great players have been unable to fulfill their early promise because of injuries. So Carlos as well as his coach and physio/doctor must ensure that big injuries do not hamper his progress,” concluded Bhargava.

Carlos Alcaraz is basically an all-court all round player with an aggressive baseline game. His most powerful weapon is his forehand. He can hit his forehand shots flat and fast from every position.

Praise from ex-champions

A few weeks ago, former tennis great Mats Wilander declared that Carlos Alcaraz has the greatest forehand of all time. Chris Evert posted on Twitter (X) that both Carlos and the women’s winner Iga Swiatek have taken the game to a higher level. Another famous player, Tim Henman said that Carlos’ forehand is one of the most devastating shots in the game right now.

With accolades flowing in from every direction, Carlos Alcaraz seems to be ready to launch himself like a rocket. All he has to do is retain his focus and stay injury free as Praveen Bhargava has said. Perhaps we are in a privileged position and we may be witnessing the birth of a tennis legend.