"Carlos Alcaraz hasn't reached his peak, far from it" - Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero lays out future plan after "ups and downs" in French Open title run

Despite Carlos Alcaraz's continued success, amplified by his 2024 French Open win, his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, recently opined that he is far from his peak. Ferrero also highlighted the aspects of the young Spaniard's game that require improvement.

Alcaraz won his maiden French Open title on Sunday, June 9. En route, he ceded five sets – one to Jesper De Jong in the second round (6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2), and two each to Jannik Sinner (2-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3) and Alexander Zverev (6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2) in the semifinals and the final, respectively.

He also had a hard time closing out a couple of sets against Sebastian Korda [6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-3] in the third round and Stefanos Tsitsipas [6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-4] in the quarterfinals.

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, former World No. 1 and 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero, discussed his mentee's roller-coaster run to the trophy during a recent interview with L’Equipe.

"This is a tournament where Carlos has gained strength. During the last two matches, he had to look for his best tennis. Against Sinner, he finished very physically tested but he recovered well. We knew it would be a long match," he said. "There were a few too many ups and downs."

In the title clash, Alcaraz was 5-2 up in the third set and was poised for a two-sets-to-one advantage. He, however, faltered during his next two service games, allowing Alexander Zverev back into the contest. The German then flipped the script to steal the third set. Carlos Alcaraz refused to give up despite the setback and cruised through the last two sets to win the title.

"I'm super happy because he demonstrated his maturity by finding these solutions that only he can find," Juan Carlos Ferrero said about the Spaniard’s remarkable turnaround.

One aspect that Ferrero wants improved, though, is Alcaraz’s ability to close out matches. He opined that the youngster could also work on his “mental stability.” The Spanish coach said that Alcaraz has yet to reach his peak, and these refinements are likely to come with experience.

"Carlos needs more stability to finish matches earlier," Ferrero said.

"He hasn't reached his peak, far from it. We are trying to find the mental stability that he lacks, so that he can maintain a very high level over time. This will come with experience. We continue to work on this," he added.

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"It is important that Carlos Alcaraz remains relaxed" - Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero

Carlos Alcaraz (R) pictured with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero at the 2024 French Open (Image Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, also touched upon people’s growing expectations given the tennis player’s consistent success. The Spaniard is now one Australian Open title away from completing the Career Grand Slam. In that regard, Ferrero said:

"We know that every tournament in which he competes he will be one of the favorites. Obviously, the Grand Slams are our big priority, but we have to continue improving," he said in the aforementioned interview.

"He must remain relaxed so that this status does not weigh too much on him and so that he can continue to play his wonderful tennis."

Alcaraz, who is currently vacationing in Ibiza, is expected to start his grasscourt campaign at the 2024 Queen’s Club Championships, where he is the defending champion. The Spaniard should then commence his title defense at Wimbledon.