Mats Wilander: '2022 will be quite difficult for Carlos Alcaraz to digest'
Mats Wilander spoke at Eurosport about the meteoric rise of Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 calendar year. And put the youngster in a league of his own.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Nov 25, 2022, 06:09 pm
In the end, the 2022 season left its mark on Carlos Alcaraz, the high-flyer, the sensational champion, the number one in the world. The fact that the 19-year-old was only able to accept the trophy as "Year-End-Number-One" at the Nitto ATP Finals in a casual look because he was not at the start due to an injury did not in any way diminish the Spanish youngster's incredible season.
This is also underlined by Eurosport expert Mats Wilander, who emphasized that he "never saw anything comparable" to what Alcaraz had done this season. Within 12 months from winning the title at the next-gen ATP finals in Milan to According to Wilander, number one at the end of the year is an announcement, so impressive that the 19-year-old cannot be compared to the greats of the sport - Federer, Nadal, Djokovic - Alcaraz is "the most inspiring" player.
Does Alcaraz need mode like Djokovic and Nadal?
Nevertheless, it is a not insignificant challenge to confirm this season in the coming year. "I think 2022 will be really difficult for Carlos Alcaraz to digest," said the Swede. "But I also think that his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero knows exactly what they have to do." If it's up to Wilander, it's needed now a "validation process" for Alcaraz, the Spaniard must bear in mind: "It was an incredible year, but wait: there's Holger Rune, there's Djokovic, there's Daniil Medvedev."
Accordingly, it is only understandable if there are doubts. It is important how you deal with it in the Alcaraz team. "I think you can get the doubts under control with hard physical and mental work," said Wilander. And it needs a good plan B. "He really has to figure out how to play when he's not feeling well." Nadal and Djokovic have perfected this. They would go into a mode and make the game very physical, very emotional, and very, very tactical. And that was extraordinarily successful for these two players.
Air up body language at Rune
"It's going to be difficult for Carlos here. Can he smile through the next few years? Winning or losing, that's going to be the biggest challenge and that's what I'm looking forward to the most," the Swede told Eurosport. "He doesn't have to be considered the greatest player, but one thing is clear: it's incredibly fun to watch him play tennis when he's playing so well and smiling at the same time."
And Holger Rune, who is seen in many places as Alcaraz's biggest competitor in the medium to long term? For Wilander, it was generally not a good decision to advertise the number one position so boldly as a goal. Because that would cause disappointment if it didn't come as quickly as planned. "Holger probably needs to work up his body language a little bit on the court, which he will do because he's only 19 and learns incredibly quickly, for sure. I think it will help his tennis to be a bit calmer and maybe more neutral, in terms of showing good vibes and bad vibes.”