The Alcaraz Mindset: The power of the ally
What does Carlos Alcaraz do so exceptionally well at a young age? Tennis insider Marco Kühn has given some thought to this.
by Marco Kühn
last edit: Mar 21, 2022, 03:18 pm
Juan Carlos Ferrero's right arm muscles must be well developed. As often as he has returned his fist to his protégé Carlos Alcaraz in the last two years. Did you notice that Carlos makes eye contact with his box, his coach, right from the start? Not only when things don't work. Not just when things get tight. Not only when he doesn't know what to do anymore.
No, Carlos and Juan Carlos are, for Carlos, together on the court from the first stroke. In the madness of a tennis match, Carlos Alcaraz always looks for and finds an ally who stands by his side. Not physically, of course. But emotionally. And that can be much more effective, as we have been able to witness impressively for almost two years.
How a tennis match works in your head
Let's play around in your head for a bit. A tennis match, not only for Carlos but also for you as a club player, is an exceptional emotional situation. Anyone who thoughtlessly swings his forehand through in training, sits just in front of the baseline and in the championship round, trembling and sweating, anxiously pushes the same forehand into the T-field feels that. In these situations, allies can help.
As humans, we always experience this phenomenon when things get tricky. This is one of the reasons why mankind has been able to survive with some degree of success up until now. When we used to be out in a group and a huge brown bear approached, what did we do? Exactly, we rounded up our allies and took down the bear.
Today there are no more clashes with bears, but clashes with the enemy sliding on the other side of the net.
In a tennis match, we have to solve problems in every rally. You always have to make decisions whether you like it or not. And then, as if all of that wasn't hard enough, you also have to face the consequences of your decisions. This is, in short, a tennis match. Pretty emotionally draining thing for a teenager from Spain who just wants to play tennis, right?! That's why he brought an ally with him. I personally believe that this connection between Carlos and Juan Carlos is largely responsible for Carlos now also playing for the big titles.
This connection is the basis of his mental strength, which he undoubtedly already has. He is already dealing with setbacks during a match better than Alexander Zverev, for example.
Well, we now know that Carlos and Juan Carlos like to look deep into each other's eyes. In the next step, let's analyze what this brings to Carlos in epic bat-and-ball duels.
The three elements of the ally
We stated a little above that in a tennis match you have to solve problems and make decisions. The older and more experienced we become, the better we can master these two disciplines. That could be one reason why Rafael Nadal, for example, is now a Buddha on the pitch. He embodies a natural stoic composure.
But well, today it's about Carlos Alcaraz. And the short one is young, not nearly as experienced as a Rafa but still incredibly far.
Due to his constant eye contact with Juan Carlos Ferrero, JCF for short as I was able to learn, Carlos gets feedback for the decisions he made in the match at any time, almost at the touch of a button. Have you noticed that Alcaraz now often throws in a little stopper? If this tactical variant is successful, then the non-verbal exchange with Juan Carlos is all the more intense. There is almost a dialogue going on that could be played as subtitles in these short scenes in which the eye contact is made. Such a dialog could look something like this:
Carlos: "Did you see that? There it was, the stop that we haven't practiced for the last three weeks. Cool, right?".
JCF: "Very strong my boy! We knew it, this variation gives you even more options. Keep it up, you play strong!".
It's these moments, the exchanges with his ally, that make Carlos Alcaraz so incredibly strong in the game between rallies. What three elements shape Alcaraz's mental strength on court? Let's take a close look together. Keeping in mind that these elements come from communicating with the ally, JCF.
Element #1: Security
Carlos Alcaraz is particularly nervous in important, big games. After all, he didn't fall on his head and knows that the audience is following him with particular attention. Great tennis is expected from the "incredible teenager". I could imagine that he sometimes feels a pretty high pressure of expectations. How does his ally help him here? After the first successful forehand shots at what felt like 200 km/h, Ferrero nodded his head calmly, stayed calm and never got too euphoric.
This form of non-verbal communication between the two allies gives Alcaraz an important emotion to be able to solve problems in the match with clever decisions: security.
Element #2: Confidence
What already characterizes Carlos Alcaraz is a certain calm when he plays badly. I personally find his game too error-prone. His shot selection still has great potential. He makes up for those weaknesses with his strength of mind while remaining confident. Have you ever noticed what he does when it's not running? He contacts JCF and nods to him. According to the motto: "Coach, don't worry. The next forehand rocket is back!". Ferrero returns the nod here, in the sense of: "Ok, all right. You grab the cub. Check mistakes and move on!".
This confidence is like a raft that Alcaraz maneuvers from the "Unforced Error" bank to the "Forehand Winner" bank in stormy waves.
Element #3: Confirmation
We talked about this element earlier in the drop shot. When Carlos faces a mountain of problems in a match, the coach's endorsement gives him confidence. And the Spaniard's game stands and falls with his confidence in his shots, in his decisions. This can then lead to Alcaraz playing in a real frenzy. This happens when he consistently makes correct decisions and JCF acknowledges them by nodding his head, clenching his fist, or simply making eye contact.
This leads us to the conclusion and the all-important question that has probably been on your mind for almost three minutes.
Conclusion
What if Juan Carlos Ferrero gets sick and isn't in the pits?
I think it's the connection that matters, not the person. Means: Another person from the team can take over the important role of the ally. The connection is not dependent on a certain person, but on the emotion.
In the long term, Alcaraz has an important task for his mentality: he should be able to give himself confidence, confirmation and security. One Rafael Nadal did and does, for example, through his world famous rituals.
Where is the journey going for Carlos Alcaraz? Probably at least among the top 10 in the world rankings.