‘Playing Better Without Him’ – Carlos Alcaraz Fans Throw Bizarre Take on Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s Absence at Paris Olympics

Is there anything Carlos Alcaraz can do wrong at the moment? Probably not. The Spanish tennis sensation is into the finals of the Paris Olympic Games after putting on a dominant display against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime. With back-to-back Grand Slam titles this season at the French Open and Wimbledon, Alcaraz is aiming for a hattrick of big titles. He has a realistic shot at winning the gold medal in Paris despite his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, not being present.

Interestingly, this is the same man who coached the young Spaniard to a Roland Garros victory. “Sometimes I do whatever they told me, and sometimes [I] depend on my feelings in that moment,” as Alcaraz put it after the French Open.

After guiding Alcaraz to the Wimbledon title last month, Ferrero decided to take a break and opted out of joining Alcaraz’s camp for the Olympic Games. Instead, the Spaniard is coached by the team’s captain, David Ferrer. However, this is not the first time that Alcaraz is without his coach for a big event.

Last year, Ferrero had a knee injury and subsequently underwent surgery to repair the damage done. However, in his absence, Alcaraz struggled on the ATP Tour with inconsistent performances. Nonetheless, with his amazing show at the Olympic Games, Alcaraz broke a popular myth that he couldn’t perform without his coach. This triggered wild reactions from fans on social media.

Carlos Alcaraz sparks crazy reactions from fans with his Olympic run sans coach

In his debut appearance at the Olympic Games, Alcaraz has stunned one and all with his dominant run across the matches in the tournament. The Spanish sensation is yet to lose a set in the singles competition and looks like the favorite to win the gold medal. However, one concerning thing for him before the start of the event was the absence of Juan Carlos Ferrero.

As seen often in the past, Alcaraz succumbed to poor losses due to the absence of his coach. However, he left those myths behind him that he can’t perform without the physical presence of Ferrero. While one fan dismissed those myths, he instead said, “Real talk he’s been playing better without him haha.”

On the other hand, a section of fans missed watching Ferrero in the stands. The Spanish coach has been quite vocal in support of Alcaraz during the matches, something which the reigning Wimbledon champion has missed dearly. A fan commented, “Tbh I needed Ferrero more than him. Missed seeing him in the box.”

Interestingly, Alcaraz has been full of praise for Ferrero and his advice, “In the vast majority of cases, I apply what Juan Carlos advises me to do. The coach is there to support you and to give you the best instructions for you. So, I apply. There are plenty of moments where I don’t really know what to do on the court. Others where I get frustrated because I can’t find the right way to play.”

Meanwhile, one fan argued that Alcaraz can win under any circumstances, with or without the coach. Terming him as a generational talent, the fan said, “Who tf said that? Carlos is generational, literal goat potential, he can win under any circumstances.”

However, Djokovic fans weren’t left behind in expressing their opinions about Ferrero’s absence and Alcaraz’s success. Last year, Djokovic had a brilliant run which saw him win 3 major titles. As a result, one of the Twitter users said, “Funny how this wasn’t an issue when Djokovic was beating this very same field and vulturing slam titles for fun.”

Lastly, some fans suggested that despite Ferrero not being there, he still passed on the coaching information to Alcaraz. In a bizarre way thought upon by a fan, the comment read, “He texts carlos during changeover. The camera doesn’t just show it.”

While numbers don’t lie, Alcaraz is slowly but steadily breaking the popular myth that Ferrero’s presence is crucial for his success. The Spaniard is into the final and will take on the winner of the match between Novak Djokovic and Lorenzo Musetti.