"Carlos Alcaraz is just way too uptight; it's highlight reel tennis but not always winning tennis" - John McEnroe's brother Patrick

Carlos Alcaraz is too uptight, and his brand of tennis too explosive, according to John McEnroe’s brother Patrick. The American opined that the youngster is fun to watch as he plays "highlight reel tennis," going for every ball; however, it is not always winning tennis, especially over five sets.

Carlos Alcaraz was the favorite over Novak Djokovic heading into the 2023 French Open. The two players set up a mouthwatering semifinal clash, a delight for the entire tennis world as they faced off for the first time in 2023. A great battle seemed promised as Alcaraz leveled the match at 1-set all, but the Spaniard fell in four sets after suffering from cramps at the beginning of the third set.

The youngster could not put up any sort of a fight once the cramps set in, and the next two sets ended in one-way traffic. Djokovic won the hyped encounter 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 before going on to down Casper Ruud in the final to win his record 23rd Grand Slam.

Summing up the French Open in his podcast, ‘Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe,’ the American was critical of Alcaraz’s explosive game. The 1989 French Open doubles champion opined that while the Spaniard is fun to watch, he often overexerts himself unnecessarily. McEnroe believed Alcaraz was too hyped, which cost him the match.

“He's just way too uptight! You know in that first set you could just see he was just going for too much,” said Patrick McEnroe. “The one thing you worry about with Alcaraz, you know, he's so explosive, he's so dynamic. These are the things that make him fun to watch."

"It's cuz he's just, a lot of times, he goes for it when he doesn't have to go for it. And as I said, it's highlight reel tennis, but it's not always winning tennis. Particularly in the best of five, in a major, against Novak.”

He also added that the cramps Alcaraz suffered from were more from nerves than physical exertion.

“I know it was hot that day, I know the second set was physical, but this guy has played a lot of long matches. It was nerves. Best of five matters because of the mindset, mentality, the hype, pressure, Novak, French Open,” he added.

How Carlos Alcaraz fared over the 2023 clay-court season

Mutua Madrid Open Winner Carlos Alcaraz

Despite the disappointing French Open semifinal defeat to Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz has had a stellar run on clay this season. The 20-year-old has amassed a win-loss record of 25-3 on the most challenging surface this year.

He also successfully defended his titles in Barcelona and Madrid, which means the youngster has not lost a single match on Spanish clay yet and is on a 21-match unbeaten streak.

Carlos Alcaraz also picked up the ATP 250 title in Buenos Aires in February before the European clay swing began. The World No. 2 has picked up three of his four titles in 2023 on the red dirt, with the fourth coming on the hard courts at Indian Wells.

The Spaniard has lost only three times on clay this year. Brit Cameron Norrie beat him in the final of the ATP 500 in Rio de Janeiro back in February. Then, after his triumphs at Barcelona and Madrid, the Italian Open favorite suffered a shock loss to Fabian Marozsan in the Round of 32.

His third defeat was to 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in the French Open semifinals. Carlos Alcaraz is set to return to action at the Queens Club Championships, also known as the Cinch Championships, which commence on June 19.