As per former player Andrea Petkovic, Carlos Alcaraz sometimes suffers horribly because he doesn’t have a plan B. Alcaraz had a great season in 2024 as he lifted four titles but he also struggled after the Paris Olympics.

At the Cincinnati Masters, he bowed out after losing to Gael Monfils in his first match. Then at the US Open, he suffered a straight-set defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. Though he won the China Open, he succumbed to defeats before reaching the semifinals in the next three tournaments he played on the tour.

Former World No.9 Petkovic thinks the reason why Alcaraz sometimes plays his worst tennis is because he doesn’t have a backup plan. The German pointed out Alcaraz faces this problem because he’s 21 and still needs to learn a lot so that he doesn’t lose momentum in crucial moments.

Alcaraz has started his preparation for the next season where he will be on a quest to complete the Career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open.

This year in September, 18-year-old Rafael Jodar made headlines when he became the US Open Boys singles champion by beating Norway’s Nicolai Budkov Kjaer. Jodar was in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he served as a hitting partner at the Next Gen ATP Finals.

During an interview with the ATP Tour, Jodar said he admires Carlos Alcaraz and recalled the time he watched his compatriot’s match for the first time. It was the third round of the 2021 US Open where Alcaraz defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets, which as per Jodar, was a ‘crazy match’.

Jodar also expressed his wish to lock horns with Alcaraz. While Jodar is yet to make his ATP debut, Alcaraz has established himself as one of the best tennis players with four Majors.