"Carlos Alcaraz lost some of that joy" - Roger Federer's ex-coach blames Novak Djokovic loss in Paris Olympics final for ruining Spaniard's form

Roger Federer's ex-coach Paul Annacone believes Carlos Alcaraz, a "joyful player," lost some of his joy after his Olympics heartbreak. Since winning a silver medal in Paris, Alcaraz has suffered several defeats but won a title in Beijing. However, a disappointing ATP Finals campaign meant he finished 2024 outside the Top 2 rankings.

Alcaraz, who continuously piled up deep runs at events in the first half of the season, won his first title of 2024 at Indian Wells in March. He went on to bag back-to-back Grand Slam titles, winning the French Open in June and the Wimbledon Championships in July.

The 21-year-old carried his outstanding form into the Olympics, reaching the final on his debut appearance. However, he faced a determined Novak Djokovic, who was relentless in his pursuit of the gold medal on his fifth attempt.

Following this defeat, Alcaraz's season took a downward turn, marked by early exits at several events. While he managed to secure a title in Beijing, his performances remained inconsistent in the latter part of the season.

Addressing this on the Inside-In podcast, Federer's ex-coach Annacone said:

"You have to find out what motivates you, and then you have to stick with that. And I think Carlos Alcaraz is a joyful player. I think part of this year he lost some of that joy, and I think, for a multitude of reasons."

"I actually think one of his biggest accomplishments was one of his biggest hurdles to deal with this year, which is getting 'only' a silver medal. Which is a great accomplishment, but I think that kind of broke his heart a little bit at the Olympics, and I think that knocked him for a little bit of a tailspin through the rest of the summer."

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Roger Federer's ex-coach feels Carlos Alcaraz will be back to his best soon

(L-R) Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Lorenzo Musetti at the 2024 Summer Olympics (Image: Getty)

After the Olympics, Carlos Alcaraz faced surprise second-round exits at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. However, he regained form with wins in the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup, as well as the ATP 500 event in Beijing by defeating Jannik Sinner in the final.

The 21-year-old faced a dip again when he was ousted in the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters and the third round of the Paris Masters.

At the ATP Finals, Alcaraz was expected to make it out of his group but he came to the event with an illness that hampered his performance. Roger Federer's ex-coach Paul Annacone, however, believes the Spaniard will be back in form soon.

"I thought he [Carlos Alcaraz] recovered when he won in Beijing, but he's had a couple of losses since then and got sick before the year-end championship. So, it's been a little choppy for him, but he has such a good head on his shoulders and a great team around him. There's no reason that that's not going to be just a blip," he said on the Inside-In podcast.

Jannik Sinner won eight titles in 2024 to finish the year as the World No. 1. Meanwhile, Alexander Zverev won two titles this year and held a 69-21 record to finish above Alcaraz in the World No. 2 spot.