Carlos Alcaraz was different from every other player at the age of 15, says coach Antonio Martinez Cascales
Carlos Alcaraz looked like he was destined to become one of the best players in the world even at the age of 15, revealed coach Antonio Martinez Cascales in a recent interview.
Martinez Cascales, who coached Alcaraz's current head coach Juan Carlos Ferrero and founded the JC Ferrero – Equelite Sport Academy in Spain, is now an integral part of the World No. 1's entourage.
Speaking to The Times, Cascales revealed that the first time he set eyes on the Spaniard, back when he was just 15 years old, he knew that the boy was going to do something he had "never seen before" in his life.
Cascales went on to talk about how he immediately fixed cameras on all the courts as he did not want to miss any part of Alcaraz's progression, adding that the reigning US Open champion stood out from all other players in his age bracket.
"Since he arrived at the academy when he was 15 years old, it was clear to me that whenever he was on the court he was going to do something that I would never have seen in my life. I installed cameras on all the courts, I knew that this boy was special and I did not want to miss anything of his progression. He thought differently from other players his age," he said, as quoted by Punto De Break.
As for Carlos Alcaraz's future, the Spanish coach expects him to have won 7-8 Grand Slams by the time he is 25, which would put him on course to match the Big-3's Major hauls if he plays as long as the trio have done.
"When he is 25 years old, I think he could have won seven or eight Grand Slam tournaments. From there, we can think about other challenges," he added.
"I saw him play for the first time when he was 14 years old and I felt something special" - Juan Carlos Ferrero on Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz's head coach Juan Carlos Ferrero also spoke in the interview, recalling the special feeling he had after watching the Spaniard play for the first time several years ago.
While the former World No. 1 admitted that it was a "great" challenge for him to take on the role of mentor for a 15-year-old, he revealed that he wanted to develop a youngster just like his coach Antonio Martinez Cascales did for him.
"I saw him play for the first time when he was 14 years old and I felt something special. Our bond goes beyond tennis, taking on the role of coach when he was only 15 years old was a great challenge for me. I wanted to develop a young tennis player from the grassroots to the elite, just like Antonio did with me. I was clear that I could do it, but everything has happened faster than expected," Ferrero said.
Currently in action at the Miami Open, Carlos Alcaraz has reached the Round of 16, where he will take on Tommy Paul in an attempt to defend his title at the Masters 1000 event.