Ferrero: Why Alcaraz is approaching Medvedev SF with 'utmost concern'

“Despite being 21 years old, he listens and tries to learn.”

These are the words of Juan Carlos Ferrero on Carlos Alcaraz as the three-time major champion prepares for his clash with Daniil Medvedev in his second straight Wimbledon semi-final and his sixth in a major. Ferrero, who has coached the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings for a number of years, is in no doubt about what those numbers mean and he is asking for prudence as Alcaraz bids to defend his Wimbledon title.

“They are very significant stats, but you have to take it day by day, this isn’t a given,” warned Ferrero. “Then we have to go to the US Open and do everything again to try and reach these kinds of rounds. The most important thing is that he has a very, very high natural level and really in five-set matches his opponents have to play very well to beat him if he’s at a normal level.

“He’s feeling very good. He’s grown into it against tough players. [Frances] Tiafoe and [Tommy] Paul are difficult. He feels good and he’s managed to solve the problems that he’s faced, but now we’re very focused on the match with Medvedev, not thinking about the title.

‘We can’t think much beyond Friday because that would be a mistake. Medvedev has earned the respect of all the players. So we’re approaching it with the utmost concern.”

<img src="/-/media/images/news/2024/07/10/17/37/alcaraz-ferrero-wimbledon-2024.jpg" style="width:100%;" alt="Carlos Alcaraz practises at Wimbledon while coach Juan Carlos Ferrero looks on.” />
^{Carlos Alcaraz practises at Wimbledon while coach Juan Carlos Ferrero looks on. Credit: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images}

Alcaraz leads Medvedev 4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series, having beaten the 2021 US Open champion last year in the same round of Wimbledon, where they will meet on Friday. However, “Daniil beat us later in the semis at the US Open,” remembers Ferrero. “That says a lot about him. He is unaffected by defeats, they help him improve. I’m sure he’ll try something different from last year on Friday. Of course, previous matches have an influence, but every match is different…

“I think you have to learn a lot from the matches you lose because they hurt a little more and you have to pay more attention. Although you can’t forget this when you win either, the things you did badly or need to improve on. I always remind him of that.”

The fact that Alcaraz has reached six semi-finals in the last seven majors is a clear sign of how important the events are to the Murcia native, who won the 2022 US Open, last year’s Wimbledon and Roland Garros a month ago.

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“The motivation comes with playing in a Grand Slam,” said Ferrero. “They are the tournaments that motivate you the most, they’re the ones you want to win. It’s clear that being away from home for a time… you have to know how to handle that monotony. Freshness is very important for Carlos because of his type of physique, because he’s very explosive.”

With one eye on that freshness, Alcaraz practised on Wednesday on the courts of Aorangi Park, but he’ll be playing golf in the afternoon and resting on Thursday before returning to the courts on Friday for his semi-final clash.

“Nothing is a given, [Spanish motorcycle racer] Marc Márquez is a perfect example. What happened to him… he was winning everything, he got an injury and now he hasn’t won for over 1,000 days,” Ferrero said. “He’s battling to come back now, a guy who is an absolute one-off. Problems can happen, you [can’t] be too confident, you have to keep working. I think people have got used to him being up there, perhaps what he’s doing is even underappreciated.”

Editor’s Note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.

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