Carlos Alcaraz did not have an ideal finish to the season, despite his best effort to navigate through a rollercoaster of a year. The Spaniard was eliminated from the season-ending ATP Finals in the round-robin itself, while his Italian rival Jannik Sinner proceeded to clinch the title and ended the year as World No. 1. Alcaraz has been a little bit inconsistent with his form, but in Turin, he struggled with another important factor as well, which was highlighted by a former pro.

After a healthy finish to the season’s first half, Alcaraz suffered a drop in form. The tipping-off point came at the Paris Olympics, where he lost the bid for Spain’s gold medal chances to Novak Djokovic. An emotionally distraught Alcaraz could hardly stay consistent after that. However, the Spaniard’s distasteful finish to the North American hardcourt swing saw a turnaround merely weeks later after he lifted the China Open title.

However, the 21-year-old struggled in the Finals again. He arrived in Turin battling illness. Before commencing his run, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero confirmed that the Spaniard wouldn’t be playing at his 100% after revealing struggles with breathing. While he briefly came atop such scares after downing Andrey Rublev, his celebration was short-lived as he lost to eventual semifinalist Alexander Zverev.

Alcaraz later expressed that he was ‘tired mentally’ after committing to a commanding ATP calendar away from home. His struggles, in turn, were acknowledged by Jim Courier. The four-time Major winner was featured on the ‘Tennis Channel Live Podcast‘ and highlighted Alcaraz’s misfortune in Turin while detailing Sinner’s incredible run this year. “The one guy who has trouble this season came into the tournament sick, and that was Alcaraz. So sadly, we didn’t get to see those two face-off because Carlos didn’t make it out of his round-robin.”

However, the Spaniard isn’t one to stay disheartened. With the tour-level events done, Alcaraz is prepping for the Davis Cup, hoping to bring glory to his nation with his role model for the last time.

Carlos Alcaraz explains why the Davis Cup Final 8 counts as the ‘most special tournament’

Just like Spanish superstar Carlos Alcaraz, fans were stunned when Rafael Nadal aired his impending retirement announcement on October 10. After struggling to restore his top form, Rafa confirmed that he would bid farewell after representing his nation, alongside Alcaraz, for the last time at the Davis Cup Final 8 in Malaga, Spain. That was all the motivation needed to ignite a feisty Alcaraz, who now wants to bring home the annual group event title for his idol.

The young talent told the reporters, “It’s probably the most special tournament I’ll play in my career, because of what’s happening. The Davis Cup has always been a tournament that I’d love to win one day, I’m passionate about representing Spain. I’ve said it many times: one of the greatest things in the world is being able to represent your country in any field. Having Rafa by my side, knowing it’s his last tournament, will make it much more special. It will be a difficult challenge but winning it for Rafa is a huge motivation.”

Alcaraz will have plenty of moments with the Spanish legend before the latter’s professional journey ceases. For now, the duo was seen practicing ahead of the highly-anticipated event and their upcoming clash with team Netherlands on November 19.