London: Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has revealed the key to his protege’s quick adaptation to playing on grass and said he and Alcaraz took elements from the playing styles of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer heading into the tournament.
The 20-year-old Alcaraz, competing in just his fourth competition on grass, overcame the 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic in Sunday’s epic final at the All England Club to claim his second Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz, who won his first major at the 2022 US Open, snapped Djokovic’s 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon with his four-hour, 42-minute victory in an SW19 classic on Sunday.
Speaking to Eurosport’s experts Mats Wilander and Barbara Schett about the key to Alcaraz’s quick adaptation to playing on grass, Ferrero said: “It’s very difficult to say, I think he takes things on board very quickly, and we’ve also seen a lot of videos of players that move very quickly here.
“So, we copied a little of Murray, Roger and Novak, and he tries to copy a little bit the same. In the end, it wasn’t easy, but we did it.”
Ferrero also emphasized that Alcaraz’s team drew inspiration from his semifinal victory against Daniil Medvedev, as the Russian’s style bears resemblances to Djokovic’s.
“We said that he would have to play more or less the same level that he played against Medvedev. He is on the baseline all the time and Carlos likes to use the slice to bring the opponent to the net. That was something we needed to do against Novak, so it was one of the keys to break his rhythm,” the 43-year-old said.
–IANS