Juan Carlos Ferrero: “We can’t think much further than Friday” | ATP Tour

Wimbledon

Ferrero: “We can’t think much further than Friday”

Alcaraz faces Medvedev in Wimbledon semi-finals

July 10, 2024

“Even though he is 21, he listens and tries to learn.”

Juan Carlos Ferrero’s comments on Carlos Alcaraz come before the three-time Grand Slam champion plays Daniil Medvedev in his second consecutive Wimbledon semi-final, his sixth in a major tournament. The Valencian coach, who has been ranked No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings for his entire life, is clear on how to read those numbers and calls for caution in Alcaraz’s attempt to defend his title at Wimbledon.

“These are very important figures, but we have to take it day by day, this is not automatic,” warned Ferrero. “Then we will have to go to the US Open and once again generate everything to try to reach these types of rounds. The most important thing is that he has a very, very high natural level, and really in five-set matches his rivals have to play very good matches to beat him if he is at a normal level,” he continued.

“The feeling is very good,” explained the Valencian. “He has gone from less to more, with difficult players. Tiafoe and Paul are difficult. The feeling is good and he is able to solve the problems he is having, but we are already very focused on the match with Medvedev, without trying to think about the title. We cannot think much beyond Friday because it would be a mistake. Medvedev has earned the respect of all the players. So we are going with the utmost concern.”

Alcaraz leads his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Medvedev 4-2 and beat him last year in the same round (semi-finals) of Wimbledon in which they will meet this Friday. However,

“Daniel then beat us in the semi-finals of the US Open,” Ferrero recalled. “That says a lot about him. Defeats don’t affect him, they help him improve. I’m sure he’ll try something different on Friday than last year. Obviously the previous matches have an influence, but each match is different…”

“I think you have to learn a lot from the games you lose because they hurt you a little more and you have to pay more attention,” Ferrero admitted. “Although you also have to remember this when you win; the things you did wrong or need to improve. I always remind him of that.”

The fact that Alcaraz has reached six semi-finals in the last seven Grand Slams speaks clearly of how important these tournaments are for the Murcia native, a three-time champion (US Open 2022, Wimbledon 2023 and Roland Garros 2024).

“The motivation comes from playing a Grand Slam,” said Ferrero. “These are the tournaments that motivate him the most, and the ones he wants to win the most. It is clear that being away from home for so long… you have to know how to deal with that monotony. Freshness is very important for Carlos because of the type of physique he has, which is very explosive.”

It was with that freshness in mind that Alcaraz trained on the Aorangi Park courts on Wednesday, but will play golf in the afternoon and rest on Thursday before returning to the court on Friday to face the semi-finals… but always with great caution.

“Nothing is automatic, we can look at the great example of Marc Marquez. What happened to him… he was winning everything, he had an injury and now he has gone more than 1,000 days without winning. And he is fighting to get back now, a guy who is absolutely outstanding. There may be problems, you can’t be complacent, you have to keep working. I think people have already become accustomed to him being up there, and even less value is given to what he is doing.”