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Tennis analyst Gill Gross recently stated that opinions about Carlos Alcaraz are too reactive. After the Spaniard's 2023 Wimbledon triumph, his form has witnessed a dip which has led to people doubting his potential.
Alcaraz has been unable to win a trophy since his second Grand Slam title at SW19. He began his North American hardcourt campaign with a quarterfinal finish at the Canadian Open. After a week, he found himself at the wrong end of the Cincinnati Masters final and failed to defend his US Open title in September this year.
More recently, the Spaniard had a disappointing end to his China Open and Shanghai Masters campaign.
During a recent episode of the Monday Match Analysis podcast, Gross addressed a fan's query regarding Alcaraz's future, suggesting he might not live up to the expectations that were set following his Wimbledon victory. Gross rubbished the idea, saying:
"Nobody’s opinion about Carlos Alcaraz should have changed. Nobody’s opinion should have changed from the end of Wimbledon to now. Nothing has happened from that period in time where you should be rethinking. It’s too reactive, all of the takes are too reactive."
Gross suggested that players should not be judged based on their performances after the US Open. He said:
"It is an overreaction, whatever Carlos Alcaraz was then, he’s still now. And certainly, if you look at him not winning Beijing, not winning Shanghai… you shouldn’t be changing your opinion about almost any player regardless of what they do for a couple of tournaments this time of the year. Do not change your opinion on tennis players after the US Open."
"The reason why Carlos Alcaraz is touted as someone who’s going to be very important is not because of what he did in Wimbledon" - Tennis analyst Gill Gross
Gross further argued that high hopes landed on Carlos Alcaraz's shoulders not because of his victory against Novak Djokovic in the finals at Wimbledon but for what he did in the 18-month period prior to that.
The 20-year-old won a total of 11 titles, including the 2022 US Open, Miami Open, Madrid Open (twice), and Indian Wells, before the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
"The reason why Alcaraz is touted as someone who’s going to be very important in the next decade-plus is not because of what he did in Wimbledon.
"It’s because of what he has shown throughout his entire career so far. It’s about what he did in 2022, it’s about what he did in 2023 leading up to Wimbledon."
Alcaraz also ended 2022 as the first teenager to be ranked world No. 1, overtaking Lleyton Hewitt's record (20 yrs, 275 days in 2001).
