Tim Henman has shared his thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz’s inconsistent form and also looked ahead to Jack Draper’s Wimbledon prospects.
Alcaraz enters the clay-court season on the back of two consecutive defeats after his campaigns at the Masters events in Indian Wells and Miami both ended with erratic performances.
The world No 3 fell in three sets to Draper in the semi-finals in Indian Wells having struggled badly in the first and third sets.
The Spanish maestro then suffered a shock three-set loss to David Goffin in his opening match at the Miami Open.
Alcaraz won his only title this year at the Rotterdam Open in February, while he fell at the quarter-final stage at the Australian Open and in Doha.
The 21-year-old will start his clay campaign at the Monte Carlo Masters, where he is set to make just his second appearance after 2022.
The four-time major winner is then scheduled to compete in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before his title defence at the French Open.
Speaking to TNT Sports, Henman revealed he is not too concerned about Alcaraz while singling out shot selection as an area for improvement.
“I definitely don’t see it as a moment of crisis,” the former world No 4 said.
“He’s not playing his best tennis, but it’s all part of the journey of learning and understanding yourself.
“For me, shot selection is still an area that he can improve on. I think when he improves his shot selection, then he will become more consistent. And he’s one of the best players in the world. So I think he’s capable of winning any tournament that he enters.”
The former British No 1 went on to address the increased attention that Draper will have to contend with after winning the Indian Wells Masters title and rising to world No 7.
“I spoke to his brother Ben, who acts as one of his agents, and he was very aware of how Jack’s profile has just increased massively,” Henman explained.
“And obviously with Andy Murray retiring, Jack’s really stepped up to take the mantle of British No 1 on the men’s side.
“Certainly, come Wimbledon, come the grass court season, that spotlight is going to be burning pretty brightly.
“But I definitely think Jack has the capacity mentally, physically and technically to deal with it. And also, I think he’s got a very good team around him who will provide that support.
“So yes, it’s still a steep learning curve for Jack. He’s just broken into the top 10, but I think he’s playing brilliant tennis. I still think there’s plenty of areas that he can improve on.
“He’s got a busy clay court season coming up, but it will be exciting when he gets to the grass in the UK.”