Serena Williams' ex-coach says Carlos Alcaraz's future is a 'mystery' despite unparalleled early success

Serena Williams' former coach, Rick Macci, recently gave his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz's setback at the Madrid Open this week. The American believes that although the Spaniard has made huge waves at such a nascent stage of his career, it remains to be seen whether he can sustain his success in the future.

Alcaraz had endured a tough season on the ATP Tour before this week, with glimpses of success. The World No. 3 triumphed at the Monte-Carlo Masters in gritty fashion earlier this month, marking his first big title since last year's Wimbledon. Unfortunately, the four-time Major winner picked up an adductor injury during his Barcelona Open campaign, where he dropped the final in straight sets to Holger Rune.

Carlos Alcaraz subsequently pulled out of the Madrid Masters this week in a bid to recover from his physical niggles, casting doubts on his title-winning prospects in the coming months. Against that background, Rick Macci took to his X (formerly Twitter) and gave his perspective on Alcaraz's career trajectory.

The USPTA-certified coach maintained that Alcaraz had achieved greater success than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer did at the same age. However, he put a precautionary footnote in his endorsement of the young Spaniard by insisting that "the future is always a mystery".

"The Spanish Magician has done so much at such a young age. Back the truck up to the BIG 3 and you will SEE that Carlos has delivered the Grand Slam Mail sooner and Faster than any Master in tennis History but the future is always a Mystery. @carlosalcaraz," Serena Williams' ex-coach Rick Macci wrote on X.

For the unversed, Macci has previously coached the likes of Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, Andy Roddick, and Jennifer Capriati to the much-coveted World No. 1 position.

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Carlos Alcaraz to defend French Open and Wimbledon titles this year

Carlos Alcaraz poses with the Coupe des Mousquetaires | Image Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz is currently in a race against time to recover for the Italian Open, which is the last big clay-court event in the lead-up to the French Open. The former World No. 1 has played only once in Rome, having exited in the third round in 2023 after losing to Hungary's Fabian Marozsan.

The four-time Major winner will be hopeful of getting in good rhythm and defending his 2024 crown in Paris after his Italian Open campaign. The Spaniard will then be hopeful of doing well at Wimbledon - a tournament he has won in the last two years. Luckily for him, the 21-year-old is not defending many points after the grasscourt Major, which bodes well for his tussle with Jannik Sinner for the World No. 1 position later this year.