Carlos Alcaraz opens up ‘psychological pressure’ in tennis amid recent form dip

Carlos Alcaraz reckons it is best for a tennis player to handle the mental and psychological pressure in tough situations of the big games. The Spaniard believes a player can get the best out of himself if he or she handles the pressure at the top level.

The youngster recently suffered an opening-round loss against David Goffin in the Miami Open and he would look to kick start the upcoming clay season on a high.

In an interview with French filmmaker Loic Prigent for the Louis Vuitton podcast, Alcaraz was asked about handling pressure.

Prigent: “Do you think pressure is physical or psychological?”

Alcaraz: “Psychological. It is…It is mental. When you feel relaxed, you’re not putting yourself in that position. It is okay. Physically, it is the match. But if you can, you know, stay mental, you know, (in) peace and relaxed. It is, you know, it’s the best thing.”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz joined forces with fashion brand Louis Vuitton in 2023 and said in an interview with Vogue that he wanted to grab his opportunity to team up with the high-end brand when the offer came his way. 

“For me, Louis Vuitton is really a brand that I have always looked to and when the opportunity to work with the team arose, it instantly felt like a perfect partnership,”…I was really invested from the start,” he said.

On the other hand, former World No.1 Mats Wilander reckons Carlos Alcaraz might be inconsistent in his career but he is going to pull off miracles.

“There are going to be inconsistencies,” admitted Mats Wilander to TNT Sports while talking about the four-time Grand Slam winner. “He’s going to pull off some miracles at times, and those miracles are going to help him win matches. But I do think in the end, Carlos Alcaraz is going to be quite inconsistent. He could bounce back in two weeks because of the way he plays tennis.”

Alcaraz will be next seen in action in the Monte Carlo Masters, starting Sunday.