Carlos Alcaraz was slammed after crashing out in the quarter-final of the Australian Open.
Carlos Alcaraz has been heavily criticised after crashing out in the quarter-final of the Australian Open. The world No. 2 suffered a slow start against Alexander Zverev, ultimately losing 6-1 6-3 6-7(2) 6-4. Former French Open champion Adriano Panatta has now claimed that Alcaraz is going backwards, slamming his on-court attitude.
Carlos Alcaraz suffered his earliest Grand Slam defeat since Wimbledon 2022 as he went out in the last eight at the Australian Open, looking flat as he barely won a game in the first two sets. The 20-year-old managed to storm back and win the third set after Zverev served for it but the hole he dug himself was too big and he failed to pull off a comeback.
It means that the world No. 2 still hasn’t won a title since his statement victory at Wimbledon in July, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set final to hand the Serb his first defeat at SW19 since 2017. And 1976 French Open winner Panatta believes that it’s a sign of regression for Alcaraz as he blasted the Spaniard for his demeanour.
“Carlos Alcaraz hasn’t evolved, but he’s gone a step back,” the 73-year-old said on his La Telefonata podcast. “He has a rather bizarre attitude on the court. I don’t see him as determined as he was two years ago.”
Carlos Alcaraz is known for smiling on the court, something that his colleagues have often praised him for and tried to copy. But the Italian saw it as a weakness as he added: “He laughs, he jokes, he doesn’t seem to care. I don’t know what’s wrong with him but, in my opinion, he has yet to decide what kind of player he is. In terms of his head, he is behind.”
Meanwhile, Panatta thought that one of Alcaraz’s contemporaries had proven himself at the Australian Open. Jannik Sinner managed to defeat Novak Djokovic in the semi-final, advancing to his maiden Grand Slam final. He handed Djokovic his first loss in Melbourne since 2018, ending his 33-match winning streak.
Panatta is still the last Italian man to win a men’s singles title at a Major and he believes Sinner could be the one to end that drought. “Sinner is the new Panatta? I don’t think Jannik Sinner is that because it’s been 50 years since I played,” he explained.
“But we have found a new champion. He will have a great future, he will definitely be a champion. He is an extraordinary boy, very strong from a technical and mental point of view, but he is not yet like [Daniil] Medvedev and Djokovic.”