‘He Is an Accident Waiting to Happen’ – Carlos Alcaraz’s Flamboyant Strokeplay Draws Severe Criticism From Tennis Bigwig

After battling with his forearm injuries, Carlos Alcaraz is finally returning to Roland Garros. But the concerns regarding his playing style are far from over. Shedding light on the subject, tennis journalist, Christopher Clarey explained why Alcaraz might still be prone to “accidents” on-court.

In a recent episode of the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Christopher Clarey and host Mitch Michals discussed the current forms of various ATP players. When the discussion drifted towards the current world number 3, Carlos Alcaraz, Christopher Clarey gave his insights on the Spaniard’s playing style. Although he admitted that Alcaraz has the potential to reach world number one very soon, Clarey was doubtful about his accident-prone style on-court.

“I love to watch him play, but I almost wish he wouldn’t play like that. Because you can see he is an accident waiting to happen. You know over a long season is action approach to the sport. The positions he puts his body in, he is going to get hurt. Not necessarily going to be debilitating all the time. But I think that’s gonna be his real challenge,” Clarey stated.

He further added, “He is also playing with a bulked-up body, he really had to work hard to get his strength at an early age.” As Clarey pointed out, Alcaraz’s playing style particularly inclines toward an aggressive baseline game. Especially when it comes to his thunderous forehand, the immense power and speed of his shots can give his opponent a run for points. With explosive movements and heavy topspin, it might put a strain on his body’s muscles and joints. 

Although Alcaraz’s forehand is a powerful weapon for him, it can put a lot of stress on his right forearm. And he has faced the consequences for it too. After his right forearm injury back in Monaco’s practice sessions, Alcaraz had to put a pause on his upcoming tournaments. Soon, the Indian Wells champion withdrew from the Monte Carlo and Barcelona Open, and then from Rome as well. 

He came back to Madrid, but only to face a quarterfinal exit. And even after taking a short hiatus from tennis and focusing on his recovery before coming back to Paris, Carlos Alcaraz still remains “scared” regarding his health.

Carlos Alcaraz describes how hitting with his racquet still makes him worried

The two-time Grand Slam champion just won his first match in the French Open against J.J. Wolf. But his journey up to now has not been smooth. Even though he is coming after a short break owing to his injury, in a recent interview with MARCA, Carlos Alcaraz admitted, “I’m still a little scared.”

He explained, “Hitting is going to take a while to go away. The feeling I have is that if I notice it once, it is enough to think about things. Every time I hit it 100% in training or games I have that hum in my head.”

Although he confessed to feeling better after the vigorous training sessions leading up to his game, the fear is not over yet. But for now, the Spaniard has a way. The 21-year-old player also revealed how wearing a compression bandage on his arm helps him to focus more on his game. But either way, Carlos Alcaraz is all ready to make his mark in the Roland Garros. However, as Clarey said, everyone hopes that he fulfills his dreams without getting into an “accident.”