“Something genetic in Carlos Alcaraz that is very special” – Emma Raducanu’s ex-coach compares Spaniard’s Wimbledon final success to Ons Jabeur’s loss
Emma Raducanu’s former coach Nigel Sears recently shared his observations on Carlos Alcaraz’s win and Ons Jabeur’s loss in the men’s and women’s Wimbledon finals, respectively.
Alcaraz clinched a famous victory over seven-time Wimbledon winner Novak Djokovic, whereas Jabeur failed to kiss the coveted trophy in her successive attempt at the Championships as she lost to Czech Republic’s Marketa Vondrousova.
While it was the Spaniard’s maiden final appearance at SW19, Jabeur carried the experience of a loss from the previous year’s summit clash. The Tunisian had locked horns with Elyna Rybakina, who defeated Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 to take the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Sears spoke about the respective players during an episode of Control the Controllables podcast and stated that while Jabeur’s rise was gradual, the Spaniard quickly rose through the ranks.
“In Carlos Alcaraz’s case, he came through and his graph was almost vertical, so he was outstanding… absolutely outstanding as a young player. His progress has been so rapid… slightly different from Ons, she has been doing it for longer,” Sears said.
“She didn’t immediately get to the top of the game. People said she has the ability and she is a talented player but it’s only in the last couple of years Ons has really played at the top level,” he added.
Sears further talked about Alcaraz’s performances in the last couple of years and suggested there was something special about the 20-year-old’s genes.
“Alcaraz has seemingly dominated at every stage he has been at. So, it’s not a balanced equation there really. Yes, there is something genetic in Alcaraz that is very very special… I mean Ons is a wonderful player too, but this guy is out of this world,” he said.
“Big step in Carlos Alcaraz’s career to beat Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon final” – Feliciano Lopez
Former Spanish tennis player Feliciano Lopez, in a recent interview, remarked that Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic are the frontrunners in men’s tennis and backed the youngster to reign after the Serb decides to call it a day.
“Carlos and Nole [Djokovic] are the two best in the world by far. We’ll see how the year ends. Novak has two Grand Slams and Carlos has one. I think Alcaraz is going to dominate the circuit when Nole is gone, if everything remains the same,” Lopez said.
Lopez further termed Alcaraz’s Wimbledon win a huge step in his career. He said:
“A spectacular match. It is very difficult to affirm that a new era has begun, but I do believe that it is a very big step in Carlos’s career to beat Nole in a Wimbledon final.”
