Patrick Mouratoglou has admitted he was “very surprised” by the comments Juan Carlos Ferrero made about Carlos Alcaraz’s commitment to tennis.
Alcaraz‘s Netflix documentary series, Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, was released last month, and the Spanish star’s approach to his career was the central theme.
The four-time major champion stressed that he wants to achieve his lofty ambitions without compromising his happiness.
“Right now my biggest fear of all is ending up seeing tennis as an obligation,” Alcaraz explained.
“Sometimes I feel like I am enslaved to tennis and that causes anxiety, frustration, doubts.”
Ferrero, who has coached Alcaraz since September 2018, also featured in the series.
The former world No 1 made a revealing admission about Alcaraz’s philosophy being at odds with the way his team sees the sport.
“His understanding of work and sacrifice is so different from ours,” said Ferrero. “It’s so different that it makes me doubt whether ‘his way’ of doing things will help him become the best in the world.”
Mouratoglou, a renowned coach who currently works with Naomi Osaka, gave his verdict on Ferrero’s choice to publicly question Alcaraz.
“First of all, what Carlos has accomplished at a young age is unbelievable,” the Frenchman said in an Instagram video.
“I was very surprised to read that his coach said publicly that he was not committing 100%. It will bring a lot of criticism. It’s really difficult to manage that.
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“Apparently, the way he deals with pressure is to not commit 100%, which is actually a behaviour that is quite usual for professional athletes. That’s a way to take pressure away.
“Is it the right way? For sure not. I would try to solve the problem between him and me. He (Ferrero) probably did try and probably doesn’t work, so probably, he goes to the next level. Ferrero is trying to motivate his player.
“Is it the right way? I don’t know. If it works, then bravo. If it hurts the player and hurts the relationship between the two, then I would say it’s not a good job.
“So, we will see what are the consequences — the positive one or the negative one, or maybe a bit of both. Let’s see how Carlos received it. Maybe he will have a reaction to that, a positive one. But it’s risky.”
Alcaraz will play Yoshihito Nishioka or Dusan Lajovic in his first match at the Italian Open as he seeks his third title of the 2025 season.
READ NEXT: Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev: Battle for world No 2 at Italian Open
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