Former American pros Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson recently highlighted the most concerning flaw in Carlos Alcaraz’s game. The players turned podcasters also shared their thoughts on the Spaniard’s comparison to a legendary trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz was aiming for his second ATP 500 title this month in Doha. After his win in Rotterdam, he won the first two matches but lost in the quarterfinals to World No. 25 Jiri Lehecka in the Qatar Open. Although Alcaraz managed to take the second set, Lehecka made a comeback in the final set, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 6-4 win.
The recent loss not only marked an end to Alcaraz’s campaign in Doha but also raised serious doubts about his consistency. In a recent episode of the Nothing Major Podcast, Sam Querrey denied claims of Carlos Alcaraz matching the levels of the ‘Big Three’.
“Is this just what we’re going to get from him? I mean which is really good but he doesn’t quite have that standard that like Novak Rafa and Roger had where they just don’t have bad losses Alcaraz still seems to throw some some ups and downs in there,” Querrey said.
Hopping into the conversation, Steve Johnson applauded Carlos Alcaraz’s commendable achievements but still had to agree with Sam Querrey.
“We just haven’t seen with conviction from Alcaraz over the last couple years. I believe that his top end tennis is better than anyone when he is playing his best but his mid-range everyday can fluctuate from time to time,” Johnson said.
There have been several instances where members of the tennis community compared Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to the ‘Big Three’. One of the comments that drew both criticism and support was from the former No.1 Mats Wilander, who claimed that Sinner and Alcaraz are better than the ATP legends in their prime.
Carlos Alcaraz admits to finding himself out of actions against Jiri Lehecka
Carlos Alcaraz didn’t back down from admitting to the fact that he was out of ideas during the quarterfinal showdown against Jiri Lehecka. After losing to the Czechian in a hard-fought three-set battle, the Spaniard couldn’t help but applaud his rival’s dominant form in Doha.
“I have discussed with my team, and I’m unsure what I could have done better. I did not play well in a couple of points on my serve, but the feelings are difficult to express. I must give credit to Jiri – he did not give up while trailing in the decider. One point made the difference. Jiri raised his level at 3-4, playing great tennis. I should have done a bit better, but his game was incredible,” Alcaraz saidnin a post-match interview.
Although Jiri Lehecka secured a spot in the semifinals, he couldn’t handle the challenge against Jack Draper, losing to him in another three-set match. As for Alcaraz, he didn’t show up at the Dubai Tennis Championships but was seen playing golf to relax his mind after the heartbreak in Doha.
