Alcaraz 'as strong as an ox' ahead of Italian Open and Roland Garros
"I had to stay focused, I knew it was going to be a battle (against Coric), where we were going to play 10 balls per point," said Alcaraz following his semi-final in Madrid last week.
"At one point I even repeated to myself what I told myself at the US Open, that I'm as strong as an ox and I could do it."
"That helped me. I'm very happy with the level I showed throughout the match, always very consistent and with great concentration," he added.
It must be said, that's a great way to stay focused at work. In fact, the formula seems quite simple. Maybe we should all try it on a Monday morning in the office, it might just work.
The native of El Palmar, Spain, with the help of these mantric words, has overcome all his main rivals on the clay just a few weeks before Roland Garros gets underway.
Obliterating the competition
Alcaraz is, without a doubt, the man of the moment on the ATP circuit. The Spaniard, who missed Monte Carlo due to a back and hand injury, has been sweeping the subsequent clay court tournaments in his home country.
On Sunday, in Madrid, he made light work of his opponent Jan-Lennard Struff(6-3, 4-6, 6-3) to win a second consecutive title in Madrid.
Before that, the man who turned 20 on Friday had crushed all his opponents, dropping only two sets in his last two tournaments - against Ruusuvuori in the first round in the Spanish capital and then against the German in the final.
Dimitrov, Zverev, Khachanov, Coric, and before that, in Barcelona, Tsitsipas, Evans, Davidovich Fokina, Bautista and Borges - he beat them all in just two sets.
Inevitably, it's impossible not to think of and compare Alcaraz to Rafael Nadal when seeing the youngster, full of nonchalance, tear his opponents apart one by one. He is certainly the first to show such dominance on the Masters' clay courts since the Mallorcan.
This is especially true when you consider that, after his victory over Coric in the semi-finals in Madrid, Alcaraz had reached 117 victories in his first 150 career matches, which puts him above John McEnroe (113) and his compatriot Nadal (112). Considering these figures, it's very clear we are looking at a phenomenon, perhaps even a generational talent.
"Little by little, I realise that I am gaining the respect of the players, of the people who are on the circuit. (...) I don't feel like the best player in the world, I try to think about myself and do my best, but I don't feel superior to anyone. Tsitsipas lost, but that doesn't mean I'm the best or that I'm going to win," said the current world number two after his win over the Croatian on his birthday, May 5th.
"Struff and Karatsev deserve to be there, but just because I'm number two doesn't mean I'm going to win the final."
Add to his extraordinary ability a mentality that is more than adequate to target titles again and again. With this capacity for self-reflection and humility - a bit like Rafa - young Carlos seems to be the standout candidate to lift the Rome Masters and then the Holy Grail of clay - the French Open.
His record in 2023 so far is almost perfect: four titles, 29 wins, two losses. That includes 10 wins and one loss on hard court with 19 wins and one loss on clay.
At the rate he is going, Alcaraz is on the verge of a historic career but there is a long road ahead before we assess his greatness properly.
Patrick McEnroe - John's brother - recently said, partly in jest, that the Spaniard was "still 22 Grand Slam titles short" of being considered the best ever.
We might just need to return to this comment in about 10 years' time.
