The Murcian tennis player is very meticulous off the field and strictly follows the instructions of his coaching staff
An hour and a half before the start of the US Open final, Carlos Alcaraz prepared some spaghetti seasoned with an ultra-energetic cocoa cream called Ambrosía. It is the routine that follows before each game. The night before, he opted for sushi.
Alcaraz is not as meticulous as Nadal, but his diet is untouchable. This is what he confessed in the spring, in an interview with Pablo Motos in ‘El Hormiguero’. It is these manias that have made him champion of the US Open and have made him the youngest tennis number 1 in history.
The word ambrosia comes from mythology: it is the food of the gods. A curious meaning to link it to the young champion. The RAE defines ambrosia in a more humble way: “Material or spiritual food that is pleasant, soft and delicate.” This ingredient is made up of 100% cocoa cream, dates and olive oil and is essential in your pre-match spaghetti dish.
Ambrosia is nothing more than a cocoa and hazelnut cream, but unlike the classic nocilla, this ingredient “lacks sweeteners and fats such as palm or sunflower oil,” as defined by the manufacturer on its website. Although the Spanish tennis player has not revealed how much cream he puts on the pasta, it seems that at 19 years old he has found a successful formula.
But in addition to eating pasta with ambrosia cream, Alcaraz trains like a boar. “I’m always in the gym at 9:30 a.m. and I’m training nonstop until 1 p.m.,” he confessed in April. Without taking his eyes off him, there is another Spanish tennis legend: his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Next to him, the rest of the members of the technical team: Albert Molina. Albert Lledó, Juanjo Moreno, Álex Sánchez, Fran Rubio and Juan José López.
There are two names that stand out in the coaching staff. The best known, Ferrero, and his physical trainer, Albert Lledó. The latter reveals the three key variables to succeed in tennis, and in any sport: a state of physical, mental and social well-being. Lledó keeps Alcaraz at bay. “The goal is to improve strength, speed and power.” The result is obvious. Since Alcaraz became a regular at the big tournaments a year ago, he has increased his muscular volume by five kilos. And that translates immediately to performance.
But just as Alcaraz takes care of his diet, he also takes care of his physical exercise before and after the games. Another key, along with ambrosia pasta, is the so-called ‘power nap’, mini-naps of between 20 and 30 minutes maximum before jumping onto the pitch. After the beating, on many occasions of more than three hours, “what we do is regenerative work on the stationary bike to help the heart pump clean blood and release the muscles. Then we go to the physiotherapy room with Juanjo or the cold water baths, depending on the means we have available in that tournament, “reveals Lledó. The day ends with a night rest of at least eight hours.
The mental part is taken care of by Ferrero, who was already number one in tennis 20 years before and knows the sacrifices that elite sport entails. It is important to know how to reconcile the intense dedication to sport with the absence of the family and seek refuge in trusted people when the mind fails. It is demonstrated by the emotional hug with which Alcaraz received Ferrero, who had just buried his father, hours before playing the Miami ATP final. The connection between the two Spanish champions works and aims high.
