Boris Becker shared his thoughts on the concerns surrounding Carlos Alcaraz and his frequent fitness issues. On Eurosport’s Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast, he quashed fears and believed the Spaniard and his coach would figure out a way to combat these problems. Becker’s comments have come at a time when he is coaching Holger Rune, who is expected to challenge Carlos Alcaraz for big titles in the 2024 season.
Carlos Alcaraz is arguably the best player of the current generation, the only one seemingly offering Novak Djokovic real competition. However, he has suffered at crucial junctures due to frequent injuries. He missed the 2022 ATP Finals and the 2023 Australian Open. Even when playing, he has often struggled in high-intensity matches. The 2023 French Open semi-final is a glaring example. The young star’s consistent injury troubles have left many fans and experts concerned about his future.
Speaking on the podcast, Becker said it is natural for a young athlete to have low points in his career. The German won the 1985 Wimbledon title, aged 17, and is still the youngest men’s singles champion at the tournament. He said he himself also faced the same issue of losing motivation after injuries. He said it is vital how a player emerges from this, adding Alcaraz seemed fit during the 2023 ATP Finals.
“When motivation weakens, the body also suffers. If you skip one or two training sessions. That happened to me. It happened to every successful 20-year-old. You have to see what comes of it. I saw him live in Turin, also during training. He was physically fit.”
“I am convinced that the two of them will come up with the right thing. Nobody likes to be injured. The question is, what are you missing: Will there be training sessions again where you can strengthen your back or thighs? But Juan Carlos and Carlos know exactly how it works.”
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a lot in 2023 because of injuries
Many people have already started referring to Carlos Alcaraz as injury-prone. This is a damning tag for someone who is regarded to carry forward the Big 3’s legacy and be a future all-time great. However, the label is not without reason.
Most recently, Alcaraz sat out of the Swiss Indoors due to a foot injury. This added to his poor run after his Wimbledon victory as he gradually lost the Year-End No.1 race to Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz missed the 2023 Australian Open due to an injured right leg. He came back strongly, winning the Argentina Open but soon, his right leg injury also came back, causing him to miss the Mexican Open. Again, following a brief return, he had to pull out of the Monte Carlo Masters with injuries to his left hand (post-traumatic arthritis) and muscular discomfort in the spine.
Then, a wonderful Roland Garros run came to a harsh end in the semi-final against Djokovic. He cramped hard and by the time the match finished, he was practically immobile. Alcaraz had a good run then, lifting the Wimbledon. But it went downhill after that.
Like the French Open semi-final, his exhaustion cost him the Cincinnati Masters final. The World No.2’s US Open run ended in the semifinals. He skipped the Davis Cup to maintain his fitness but ultimately broke down before the Swiss Indoors. He will want to prove Becker right and find a solution to his fitness issues to have a memorable 2024 season.
