“training with the best”. With this message I shared a few days ago Marco Cecchinato a photograph in which he posed together with Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he has spent a few days in Villena already thinking about the next season. The Italian, who has not had his best year on the circuit, explains in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport that experience of preparing for 2023 with the world number one and how he has lived this year on the Challenger circuit.
Training sessions with Alcaraz
“We started in Spain because many players train between Valencia and Alicante. I had a good training with Carlos Alcaraz, he is really an extraordinary boy, very strong. I have seen how he has grown compared to training sessions in the past. The relationship between him and his coach Ferrero is wonderful. Everything Juan Carlos says is a valuable lesson for Carlitos, and he immediately tries to put it into practice.
Compared to a year ago, he is much more powerful and you can see that he is working the points to immediately catch the winner with the forehand. In a way, he reminds me a lot of Rafa. It is unlikely that he will go down in the rankings. It will be a season of adjustment for him, but he will surely stay on top because he is so proficient with his mind and body. It’s scary on clay and on concrete”, warns Marco Cecchinato.
The worst year of his career
“I don’t set goals in terms of qualifying. I just want to give it my all and win as many games as possible. For me, playing for Challenger again after a life on the top circuit was very difficult to accept. I immediately saw it as a descent. Then I realized that I had to face each challenge with the right attitude to get better again. In the end I am happy with the way in which I ended the worst year of my life as a tennis player”, explains the Italian.
