“The Goal is to Keep Growing”

By Chris Oddo | @TheFanChild | Tuesday February 14, 2023

What can Carlos Alcaraz do for an encore after an absolutely dreamy campaign in 2022 that saw him become the first teenage Grand Slam winner since 2005 and the youngest World No.1 in ATP history?

Just keep growing…

Speaking with Clay in South America, Ferrero said that the goals are about continuing to develop a game that is built to last, rather than getting hung up with specific ranking or tournament objectives.

“The goal is to keep growing as a player,” Ferrero told Clay ahead of this week’s Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. “What we want is for him to stay at the top for a long time, to keep playing well, to keep competing and winning very important tournaments.”

– After that short time in which you coached him, Alexander Zverev even said that there was a lack of respect from you.
– The difference between us was professionalism, he had a very different culture to mine.@sebastianfest interviews @juankiferri👇https://t.co/IMXDSSZlTK

— Clay (@_claymagazine) February 14, 2023

Ferrero, a former World No.1 and Grand Slam champion like his charge, says that there are many elements of Alcaraz’s game that need work.

“He has a lot of things to improve,” he says. “The consistency of the serve and in the return to have better directions, to be better at the beginning of the matches, because many times it costs him a little bit to start.”

Ferrero mention ongoing plans to shore up Alcaraz’s backhand slice and his block returns.

The coach isn’t quite sure if Alcaraz can improve upon his electric 2022 season which saw him go 57-13 with five titles, including the US Open. But the groundwork is being laid for future – and consistent – on tour.

“Carlos has had a fantastic year, to equal it would be a super success and to improve on it, you can’t even count on it,” Ferrero said. “And if he plays a little bit worse it’s normal. But Carlos surprises me a lot, when you think that something is no longer possible, he pulls things out of his sleeve.”