Carlos Alcaraz has had a strange year so far, which seems strange considering how it started.
After all, having played no warm-up tournaments, he made history by winning the Australian Open, and thus completing the career Grand Slam in record time.
The 22-year-old backed that up with another title in Qatar, which had many wondering when he might lose again.
However, that was swiftly disproved as he headed to America, with the Sunshine Swing taking its toll on Alcaraz.
Should Carlos Alcaraz have skipped the Barcelona Open? Did he make a mistake by playing it?
The rush over to clay has since caused further harm, with Alcaraz suffering a wrist injury that threatens to derail his entire season.
And yet, despite all this ongoing turmoil, Adriano Panatta has argued that Alcaraz’s split from Juan Carlos Ferrero remains his biggest issue.
Carlos Alcaraz told he should never have split with Juan Carlos Ferrero
A former French Open champion, the Italian, speaking to We Love Tennis, argued: “In my opinion, he made a mistake leaving Ferrero.”
Panatta suggested that, in splitting with Ferrero, he lost a ‘demanding coach, but also a great tennis expert.’
He continued: “At 21 or 22, with all the trophies he’d won, Carlos became more ambitious, and he made an error. I would be happy for him if he went back to Ferrero.
“The relationship between coach and player is visceral: coaches dedicate their lives to the players they coach and follow every single day, sacrificing their families.
“A coach must first and foremost understand tennis and have no gaps in their knowledge. He shouldn’t be a parent or a confessor, but he must be able to help you reach that next level of quality, depending on your age.
“If you stay with a father figure as a coach your whole career, there’s a risk the relationship will deteriorate.”
How long is Carlos Alcaraz set to be out for after suffering wrist injury?
Brad Gilbert has predicted how long he thinks Alcaraz will be out injured, and the Spaniard has since offered his own rough timeframe that puts Roland Garros in doubt.
He admitted that, with Madrid and Rome already ruled out, he will take no risks, even to play in a Grand Slam event.
Alcaraz suggested: “As I’ve said, we have a very long career ahead of us, many years of good tennis,” he said. “Pushing myself at this Roland Garros could really harm me for future tournaments, so we’ll see how the test goes; that’s what we’re focusing on.
Should Carlos Alcaraz skip Roland Garros if he’s not 100% fit?
“I’d rather come back a little later and come back fit, than come back a little sooner and come back injured. You have to look after yourself because a tennis player’s career can be very long.”
This means that we might not see Alcaraz again until the grass-court season gets underway.
