“You have to be really mentally strong to play tennis,” Naomi Osaka stated in her 2021 Netflix docuseries, a sentiment that resonates deeply within the demanding world of professional tennis. Osaka herself exemplified this strength, becoming the first Asian woman to reach the world No. 1 ranking at just 20. As she noted, “because (it) is a solo sport, you’re kind of by yourself.” While Osaka bravely initiated open discussions about mental well-being on the WTA tour, it appears four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz is taking a similar lead on the ATP side.
Last month, Alcaraz was on the verge of pulling off a three-peat at the Indian Wells, having already won the BNP Paribas Open in 2023 and 2024. In the final, the former World No.1 was fan favorite to win against British sensation Jack Draper. The latter, however, proved too good to beat. Draper won his maiden ATP 1000 trophy after besting Alcaraz, 6-1, 0-6, 6-4. Alcaraz’s reaction was one to pay attention to!
Reacting to his defeat, the 2024 French Open champion later said, “Today has been a difficult day for me. I didn’t practise well. I didn’t feel myself well on court.” reported ATP’s website on March 16. “I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself… So when you’re thinking more about the opponent than yourself, then it is a big problem.”
Furthermore, he added, “I didn’t approach the match in the best way that I could. So I was nervous during the whole day, in the practice before the match.” You know what? That’s a lot for a young star to confess. Being at the biggest stage, accepting your weaknesses in public is not easy. And that’s exactly what ex-pro Andy Roddick likes about Alcaraz.
In an episode of his Served podcast, dated April 22, former American pro Mardy Fish started the conversation, giving his take on how “some people can’t” while others “can handle an insane amount of stress and just go, go, go all the time. And it’s not a weakness because you can’t. You’re just wired a little differently.” To this, Roddick brought up Alcaraz’s situation.
According to Roddick, athletes often wait until their late twenties to openly discuss their mental health struggles, feeling they have reached an age where prioritizing well-being is more accepted. However, Alcaraz has now challenged this typical timeline. How?
After reaching the QFs in Barcelona, Alcaraz empathized with Sara Sorribes, who has decided to take an indefinite break from tennis. “People—and we as players too—pay a lot of attention to social media. Unfortunately, we focus more on the negative than the positive, and it affects us. Tennis is a very demanding sport, and it’s nonstop week after week. You don’t realize you need to stop until you’ve reached a point where a few days off aren’t enough, and you need much longer,” he openly expressed.
Per Roddick, Alcaraz’s “like, he, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone so young. Be so honest about everything. He’s, you know, he loses in Indian Wells and he’s like, ‘I just felt nervous all day and I don’t know why.’ You know, he doesn’t hide. He seems like the first person who actually, like, talks about it (mental pressure) in real time and doesn’t actually care enough and/or the world is like a more comfortable place to say these things into.
But you know what? Alcaraz has been constantly showing his vulnerable lately. And he’s not shy to talk about his low moments. Especially the one that occurred in Miami a few weeks back. It literally made him hit ‘rock bottom’.
When Carlos Alcaraz confessed to hitting ‘rock bottom’ because of Miami Open
After crashing out of the Indian Wells, Carlos Alcaraz entered the second phase of the Sunshine Double. In Miami, he was expected to do good. After all, he had won a trophy at the event, back in 2022. But things fell apart. He faced a shocking first round exit!
Playing against Belgium’s David Goffin, Alcaraz couldn’t do much. Despite losing the first set, the World No.52 player ousted him by clinching the next two. The final score line read 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in favor of Goffin. This defeat strongly affected Alcaraz on a mental level. So much so that he began questioning himself.
After clinching his first Monte Carlo Masters title, earlier this month, the Spaniard sat down for an interaction with Marca. While spilling the beans on his mental challenge and struggles after Miami, he began, “It’s a combination of everything”
He added, “In Indian Wells, I thought I was playing well, and off the court, I was pretty calm. The loss to Draper hurt a lot. Then I got to Miami, and that loss to Goffin was the final straw. We had to stop, sit down, and see what was happening.” So did this experience made him hit rock bottom?
Giving an unfiltered response, he said, “More or less that could be said. It’s just that it was hard for me to get out in the press, I didn’t even know what I was going to say. You can say yes.” Alcaraz even considered to “stop for a week, not go to a tournament, stop for several months, continue training, take a vacation and then train for what comes… Many thoughts came to my mind and one of the best things I did was to take several days off and give myself the opportunity to think clearly and see things with perspective and, from there, decide”
Being a tough guy, Alcaraz finally regained his strength and shined in Barcelona last week. Unfortunately, he couldn’t lift his third trophy at the event, as Denmark’s Holger Rune stunned him in the final battle. More than the defeat, however, what’s concerning for him and his fans is an injury he sustained in his right upper leg.
He was supposed to enter the Madrid Open this week. As of now, an official update is yet to come on his participation in Madrid. Do you think he will be fine to play or should he go for a recovery break? Let us know in the comments below.
The post “Doesn’t Actually Care” – Ex-ATP Pro Marvels at Carlos Alcaraz’s Fearless Transparency on the Pressure of Tennis appeared first on EssentiallySports.