After taking Paris Saint Germain to its first Champions League title, Luis Enrique, the team's Spanish coach, was surprised about how well his players had handled the pressure of the big game, particularly his young stars like Désiré Doué (19), who would later be named man of the match in the final against Inter Milan.
Doué, Lamine Yamal (Barcelona’s 17-year-old wonderkid) and Carlos Alcaraz (22) are of the same generation, but there is something else that unites them. They are all athletes who are seemingly unfazed by pressure and have no fear of failure.
“Honestly, I can identify with that,” acknowledged Alcaraz. “Ultimately, it’s true that we might feel more pressure for longer during a match, or throughout a tournament. I’ve always said that it’s in those moments of pressure that you can identify the great athletes, the way they handle all of that makes the difference between a truly great athlete and a good one.
”I always tell myself in those moments that I have to give more, I have to give something extra, I have to go for it and be unafraid. That’s why I can identify with what Luis Enrique said. I also saw the match and it was an amazing final for some players.”
Alcaraz plays Tommy Paul (4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series) on Tuesday for a ticket to the Roland Garros semi-finals and he does so with the peace of mind of having progressed in a task he set himself last year after winning his first Coupe des Mousquetaires. The Spaniard put an emphasis on winning matches playing badly, knowing how to struggle and digging deep when the magic isn’t there.
”We’re learning,” Alcaraz said with a touch of pride. “Ultimately, one of the things I’d also like to improve is my consistency, that’s obvious. We’re maintaining a high level for a long time, we’re learning to find solutions when things aren’t going well, instead of getting angry and not thinking.
”It’s something we’ve been learning with time. I’m 22 years old, and it was also time to mature a little.”
Alcaraz shared a laugh. This is another trait of this generation of young talent — they enjoyed success so quickly, at such a young age, that the road ahead of them and the time they have left to improve is practically limitless.
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