Roger Federer’s ex-coach Paul Annacone believes Carlos Alcaraz, a “joyful player,” lost some of his joy after his Olympics heartbreak. Since winning a silver medal in Paris, Alcaraz has suffered several defeats but won a title in Beijing. However, a disappointing ATP Finals campaign meant he finished 2024 outside the Top 2 rankings.
Alcaraz, who continuously piled up deep runs at events in the first half of the season, won his first title of 2024 at Indian Wells in March. He went on to bag back-to-back Grand Slam titles, winning the French Open in June and the Wimbledon Championships in July.
The 21-year-old carried his outstanding form into the Olympics, reaching the final on his debut appearance. However, he faced a determined Novak Djokovic, who was relentless in his pursuit of the gold medal on his fifth attempt.
Following this defeat, Alcaraz’s season took a downward turn, marked by early exits at several events. While he managed to secure a title in Beijing, his performances remained inconsistent in the latter part of the season.
Addressing this on the Inside-In podcast, Federer’s ex-coach Annacone said:
“You have to find out what motivates you, and then you have to stick with that. And I think Carlos Alcaraz is a joyful player. I think part of this year he lost some of that joy, and I think, for a multitude of reasons.”
“I actually think one of his biggest accomplishments was one of his biggest hurdles to deal with this year, which is getting ‘only’ a silver medal. Which is a great accomplishment, but I think that kind of broke his heart a little bit at the Olympics, and I think that knocked him for a little bit of a tailspin through the rest of the summer.”
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