Renowned tennis coach says Carlos Alcaraz meeds 'mental rest' to avoid burnout

Mouratoglou believes some of Alcaraz' recent losses may be because his playing schedule is too packed, and while the young star may not be physically tiring, he is getting "emotionally drained".

Alcaraz was on top of the world after winning back-to-back Grand Slams at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the latter after beating Novak Djokovic in the final, but he could not repeat the feat against the Serbian in the Olympic gold medal match, and then returned to action almost immediately in Cincinnati where he suffered an upset defeat against Gael Monfils.

His worst defeat followed shortly after in the second round of the US Open, where Botic van de Zandschlup pulled off a stunning second-round victory.

After that shock loss at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz admitted he was not doing well "mentally" and that he didn't know how to "control" himself when things weren't going his way.

According to Mouratoglou, the Spaniard is feeling the effect of mental fatigue.

"I wouldn't think he would lose in three sets like this but for me, it's half a surprise," the Frenchman said on social media. "Two Grand Slams in a row, now he can rest. No. The Olympic Games now. Plus all the other tournaments.

"He was exhausted, mentally exhausted. I am not surprised that he is saying that he had so many thoughts and so many emotions that he couldn't deal with. That is exactly the consequence of someone who is emotionally drained.

"If you are not fresh here [in the mind], it is more and more difficult to do it."

Mouratoglou reckons Alcaraz has not yet developed the mental toughness of the likes of Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and urged his team to be cautious in managing his schedule.

"He's very, very emotional. We've seen him cramp many times already. If you look at Roger, Rafa, and Novak, have you seen them cramp once in a match? All their careers? He cramped many times already, only at 20. He's an emotional player.

"So I think that knowing that, in the future, they will have to think of a calendar where he has enough rest â- mental rest, not physical rest. Mental rest. I think it is very important for his future."

READ MORE: Faeez Jacobs eyeing UFC call in EFC showdown with Vince Bembe