Former ATP ace comments on Carlos Alcaraz's mental toughness

• Tennis News
• Carlos Alcaraz

Iga Swiatek is increasingly entering the history of sports. The Polish tennis player has dominated the season that she has just finished: two Grand Slam titles, Roland Garros and the US Open; four Masters 1000 of the total of eight obtained: Doha, Indian Wells, Miami and Rome, in addition to Stuttgart and San Diego; the top of the ranking achieved after Barty's retirement and never challenged throughout the calendar year.

A domain that is not only on the track: it was almost a foregone conclusion to award her the award for the Best Player of 2022 at the WTA Awards. A recognition that extends and goes beyond the world of tennis, involving the entire world of sport.

The Polish player was chosen as the best European athlete of the year, one of the most important awards in the history of this sport. The world number one beat the Swedish athlete and Olympic champion, Armand Duplantis, and the Formula 1 world champion, the Dutch Max Verstappen.

Closing out the top five, however, were two other tennis players: the Spanish duo, who partly dominated the men's circuit, namely Carlos Alcaraz, who finished fourth, and Rafael Nadal, who placed fifth. Awarded as the best player of 2022, Iga Swiatek is already thinking about 2023.

In an interview with The National, the world number one revealed her goals for the new season. The season will start in Australia, where the Pole is on the hunt for achievements. "Goals"? As for the goals, I keep thinking about them.

I usually post them on New Year's Eve along with the new and good New Year's resolutions."

Alcaraz won five titles in 2022

Speaking on an episode of the Control the Controllables podcast, former South African player Koenig expressed his satisfaction at the emergence of a new crop of players, especially Carlos Alcaraz.

"It's been fascinating to see the emergence of the young guys and the amount of talent that's out there. We always worry about who's going to takeover the mantle from the Big 4. But I like what I'm seeing," he said. "Obviously now with Alcaraz getting to No.

1, the variety that he showed at such a young age is what has struck us all. He's got so many tools at is disposal but for me, it's the mental toughness that this guy has. I often use his stats in deciding-set tiebreaks. I think he's 11-1 in his career.

His clutch factor is right up there, man. Fearless tennis and the ability to produce is exciting all of us. There's a lot to look forward to," he added.