Carlos Alcaraz has improved since US Open 2022 and is "beating the cr*p" out of others, says Spencer Segura

Former doubles partner of Jimmy Connors, Spencer Segura, believes that Carlos Alcaraz could take a big leap and set himself apart from youngsters like Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune by winning the next few upcoming tournaments this year. Segura praised the Spaniard's current form and stated that Alcaraz is "beating the cr*p" out of other players on tour.

Carlos Alcaraz won back the World No. 1 in the ATP live rankings after his successful defense of the Barcelona and Madrid titles. The 20-year-old has collected ten ATP titles so far, including one Grand Slam and four ATP Masters 1000 titles. The Spaniard will go into the 2023 Roland Garros as the top seed and the favorite to lift the trophy.

Speaking to Jimmy and Brett Connors on the “Advantage Connors” podcast, Segura discussed the Spaniard's game and stated that he thought Alcaraz's serve had improved since his 2022 US Open triumph.

“This Alcaraz, he's improved I think since the [2022 US] Open. He's serving much better. Not dramatically, but 15%. So he's 19-20 years old,” said the American.

The former player stated that he is impressed by Alcaraz's game, especially his return of serve.

“I'm very impressed. He attacks the second serve like Jimmy did, he's the crossover player. Jimbo said there'd be a guy who could play back, two feet, like Nadal. That defensive game with a spin that could hurt you. This is a guy who could hurt you with his return of serve,” he said.

Segura also believed that the 20-year-old was beating out his contemporaries with pure skills and would cement his dominance on the ATP tour if he won the next few tournaments.

“And now his serve's improving. So I think he just beats out (other players),” added Segura. “So he's obviously improved so I think if he wins these tournaments, he will make a big jump, he will dominate. He's separating himself cuz he's beating the crap out of the other guys.”

“I really need some days to reset my mind” - Carlos Alcaraz after Italian Open loss

Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to 135th-ranked qualifier Fabian Marozsan in the third round of the 2023 Italian Open. In the press conference following his loss, the 20-year-old said he needed to rest and reset before Roland Garros.

"I'm going to rest little bit, some days off for me. I really need some days to reset my mind a little bit, to being fresh for Roland Garros," said Carlos Alcaraz.

The Spaniard stated the importance of having a few days off at home after having played a lot of tennis consecutively this season.

"I couldn't practice more than three, four days in a row. I've been playing so much. It's going to be really helpful for me to have days at home practicing and getting ready to Roland Garros," he added.

The match against Marozsan was Carlos Alcaraz's third loss of 2023. His win-loss record for the year stands at 30-3. Despite the result, Alcaraz will be No. 1 in the updated ATP rankings on May 22 and the top seed at the 2023 French Open.