Carlos Alcaraz has had a tough 2023. In spite of winning a Grand Slam and finishing the year as World no. 2, the Spaniard has struggled with fitness during the year, resulting him in missing some tours. Now, Tennis legend Boris Becker has provided his view on Alcaraz’s fitness. Becker believes Alcaraz may have lost a bit of motivation. However, the former player is not too worried about the Spaniard in the long run.
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In 2022, Alcaraz won his first major, the US Open, and finished the year as the world’s number one, all while he was still a teenager. The following season, however, Alcaraz found it harder to stay on that trajectory, largely due to the incredible form of Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz went on to win Wimbledon and remain in the world’s top two, but Becker believes Alcaraz’s motivation issues in 2023 are nothing out of the ordinary for players of his age.
“My feeling has always been that when motivation goes down, the body suffers. If you skip some training sessions, the chances of getting injured or suffering physical discomfort are much greater,” Becker told Punto de Break.
“That’s what happened to me when I was 20 and I think which is the case of Alcaraz as well. It seems logical to me for a young man who is so successful, it has happened to everyone,” he added.
Becker also backed coach Juan Carlos Ferrero to kept Alcaraz firmly on the right track. “I know that Juan Carlos has recognized certain difficulties in keeping Carlitos in his best shape throughout the year, but I am convinced that the two of them will be able to correct that,” Becker said.