Patrick Mouratoglou reveals mercurial Carlos Alcaraz's biggest weapon

Alcaraz cemented his status as one of the all-time greats of tennis when he won the Australian Open title last month and became the youngest player in the history of the game to win all four Grand Slam titles.

It was a remarkable achievement for a young man who has achieved more in the first few years of his career than most of the greats of the game.

Mouratoglou, who is a former coach of Serena Williams, Naomi Osaka and Holger Rune, caused a stir when he suggested Alcaraz and his big rival Jannik Sinner are playing at a higher level than Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer managed at any point in their careers and now he has identified the Spanish maestro's biggest strength.

"Carlos Alcaraz's greatest weapon isn't one of his shots or his athleticism. It's his mind. That's what decided the Australian Open final," Mouratoglou wrote on LinkedIn.

"Against Novak Djokovic, after a first set where Novak was playing at a level that usually ends matches, 99.9 per cent of players would have panicked. Carlos didn't."

He went on to suggest Alcaraz can accept that he doesn't need to play perfect tennis to win and that allows him to retain his belief.

"He doesn't need to play great to win. He needs to believe that a solution exists, even in the worst situations," he added.

"Watching that match, you could feel it. Novak plays an almost perfect first set. The kind that puts enormous pressure on any opponent. And yet, Carlos stays the same. Calm. Present. Focused. There is a voice inside him that says: "Don't worry. I'll find a solution. I'll win in the end."

"This final was not really about tennis. It was about two mental monsters facing each other. About who would give up first. None of them did.

"But at some point, Novak felt it: "He's still there. He's still challenging me. Every point." Physically and mentally, that changes everything. In the end, it came down to physical freshness and Carlos had just a little more left.

"At 22, becoming the youngest player in history to win all four Grand Slams is no surprise to me. He has the game. He has the level. And above all, he has a mental strength that already puts him apart from the rest. Carlos is an incredible competitor who always finds solutions in the worst situations. That's what makes him truly special."

Alcaraz will now have a fresh challenge to set a new goal after clinching the career Grand Slam in Melbourne, with a third successive French Open title at Roland Garros now firmly in his sights.

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