Carlos Alcaraz's 2024 was truly exceptional for a player of just 21 years old, but it was partially overshadowed by Jannik Sinner's near-perfect season. It's no secret that this rivalry is set to mark in the era, and many insiders believe that these two players can take the place of the Big 3 in the hearts of fans around the world.
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The young Spaniard became the youngest ever to win Roland Garros and the Wimbledon Championships in the same year, not forgetting his triumphs at the Indian Wells Masters 1000 and the prestigious Beijing ATP 500. The former world No.1 would have liked to win the gold medal for his country at the Paris Olympics, but his run ended in the final against Serbian legend Novak Djokovic at the end of one of the most exciting matches of the entire season.
As had already happened in 2023, Carlitos' level dropped in the second half of the season and some unexpected defeats arrived. The 21-year-old from Murcia disappointed expectations especially at the US Open, where he was eliminated already in the second round having not yet disposed of the disappointment at the Olympics.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion did not shine even in the last tournaments of the season, in particular at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where he was also conditioned by a flu virus.
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These disappointing results allowed Alexander Zverev to overtake him in second place in the ATP rankings before the end of 2024. Alcaraz knows that he has to improve in terms of consistency if he wants to dethrone his great rival Sinner, who has a margin of almost 5000 points over him despite the Spaniard winning two Major titles this season.
Carlitos' weakness
Carlos' game is arguably the most spectacular on the tour right now and its variety is unparalleled, but the world No.3 struggles to win matches when he's not playing his best tennis. The Spanish ace has not found the right solutions to defeat his opponents even on the worst days.
On the latest edition of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, former WTA Top 10 Andrea Petkovic highlighted all of Alcaraz's current issues: The one quibble I have with Carlos is what the others dont have.
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Zverev doesnt have this issue, even Taylor Fritz doesnt have, Jannik definitely doesnt have, Novak Djokovic definitely doesnt have. When Carlos is bad, he is f***ing horrendous.
She continued: He doesnt have a plan B because you are still Carlos Alcaraz, who has won four Slams. But he then cant make a ball anymore, hes double-faulting, hes missing, he doesnt even get into a rally.
So when Carlos is bad, hes so bad. And at the highest level, hes probably the best player.
He was 3-0 against Jannik Sinner, who was the best player this season. At his low level, he can still lose to Jakub Mensik, and Jannik Sinner would not lose to Jakub Mensik probably.
A shot to improve
During the off-season, the 4-time Grand Slam champion is working on various aspects of his game alongside his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. The current world No. 3 - who will start the new season directly at the Australian Open in mid-January - is focusing mainly on the serve. This shot is fundamental in men's tennis and Carlitos can still improve a lot in this aspect. His serve is not as effective as it should be, especially on the fastest surfaces, which is why Alcaraz struggles a lot to be competitive enough on indoor hard courts.
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The 21-year-old from Murcia will assess his improvements at Melbourne Park, where he will play a couple of exhibition matches before making his official debut at the AO.
In the same podcast, Rennae Stubbs reflected on Carlitos accuracy with his serve: He is not a big guy. He is like my height, he's like 5'10, 5'11. He needs to develop a little bit of a flatter surf, and I think he needs to develop his surf better, and he needs to hit his spots better, right? I mean, Roger Federer wasn't a big guy. But he could hit the corners like nobody else. And I think Carlos needs to get his accuracy with his serving better. And if he doesn't hit the corners better, he's not getting free points.
The former World No.1 in doubles continued: "Roger was a little bit like Carlos Alcaraz as well, like a little flashy, a little bit over the top, you know, and then he's like, I wanna win these matches, so I probably should just hit that forehand in and crosscourt.
