Carlos Alcaraz will take on Novak Djokovic for his maiden crown at the Wimbledon Championships. Ahead of him is a monumental task of stopping the man who has looked infallible this year at the Grand Slams and the Spaniard knows he needs all the help and preparation he can get to do so. Especially after faltering against the Serb earlier in the season at the French Open semi finals.
A fascinating encounter that was living up to the hype, the semi final clash between Alcaraz and Djokovic ended up becoming something of a formality in the second half of the match. Alcaraz cramped up after a draining first two sets, becoming a shadow of himself as he dropped the third and fourth set with little fight. But the youngster believes that is something that’ll not repeat itself and he has revealed his plans on how to give himself the best possible chance against defending champion.
Carlos Alcaraz will seek help, but not for his tennis
The fact that Carlos Alcaraz finds himself in the final of a Wimbledon Championships at the age of 20 is proof that he is a rare talent. In terms of his skillset, he has everything he will ever need to dominate the sport for the coming decade; a reliable serve, a devastating forehand and a drop shot that will break many ankles in the coming years, are just three of his strengths that really stand out in his game. He clearly has the game to damage Djokovic, if not beat him. And he knows it himself.
To mitigate a repeat of his loss to Djokovic earlier in the year, Alcaraz will talk to his psychologist before the final. In order to be best-placed to deal with the situation and certain high pressure moments in the match against Nole, Carlos knows he needs more than just his tennis.
“I have a psychologist that I work with since the beginning of 2020. She helps me a lot. I will talk with her to prepare for the match, that important moment for me. It is not going to be easy. but I’ll talk with her.
“I try to get into the court with not much nerves as I probably had in French Open, in the semi-final. I try to pull out all nerves, try to enjoy that moment because probably in the semi-final at the French Open I didn’t enjoy at all in the first set.
“I’ll do something different from the match. I prepare for the match a little bit different from French Open. It’s going to be different for me. I hope not to get cramp during the final. I think it’ll be better on Sunday.”
What the Spaniard most definitely lacks compared to his opponent is the physical fitness and mentality. The cramps that hampered him at Roland Garros weren’t simply a physical issue. He had proven his capability to go through a Grand Slam and win it while maintaining peak physicality already with his US Open 2022 win. The cramps in Paris were a consequence of poor game management and wavering mentality.
Playing against a seasoned Djokovic was not only physically but also mentally taxing for Carlos. Having to raise his game to the highest level and maintaining it while also not losing focus and matching his opponent’s mental fortitude proved too much for the young player.
