For the second consecutive year, Rafa Nadal (36) will miss a tournament he has won 12 times due to injury. Nevertheless, the Barcelona Open has once again confirmed itself as one of the most important and beloved clay-court events.
"The fact that we have Carlos Alcaraz (19), Stefanos Tsitsipas (24), Jannik Sinner (21) and, more generally, the best, as well as other historical players, gives us a lot of energy," tournament director and former ATP number three David Ferrer said in an exclusive interview with Flashscore.
You have lost the final of this tournament four times, always against Nadal: is he the strongest of all the players you have played against?
"One of the best without a doubt, but I would also put Novak Djokovic (35) on the same scale. It's true that I couldn't even beat Roger Federer (41), but I think these two players are different from all the others I've played against."
Everyone wants to see Alcaraz, what makes him so special?
"He has charisma, he is close to the crowd and, above all, he has a really spectacular game, with a lot of power. He is also a player who has fun on the court and people notice that."
Last year it was here that it became clear that Carlos could reach the top much sooner than expected. How far can he go?
"I don't know. But he is already number one and the youngest ever to win a Grand Slam. He is breaking one record after another. I don't want to compare him to Nadal, Djokovic or Federer because their shadow is very difficult to match. But without a doubt, he will be a player who will mark an era in Spanish and world tennis."
The rivalry he has with Jannik Sinner is beautiful and exciting.
"Yes, very nice and I like it because I consider Jannik a very good player who is improving every year, reaching his goals, and I am sure he will have his chances to win a Grand Slam and become number one. In fact, among the young players, he is the one who impresses me the most because of the power of his shots and his margin for improvement, which is still very wide."
Does he agree that this will be the great rivalry of the future?
"It could be, but there is no shortage of good players out there. There is also Sebastian Korda (22), who is improving all the time. But at the moment, yes, these are two players who have a clear idea of what their goal is and are very ambitious. From this point of view, it is a good rivalry because, moreover, they are both good people and I like that. They are humble, respectful and the fact that players of this level are like this is good for the sport in general."
Where does Lorenzo Musetti (21), Djokovic's executioner in Monte-Carlo, fit in this new landscape of phenomena?
"He is a very talented player who improves year by year, although he is perhaps a little behind Carlos and Jannik in terms of maturity. But he is a player who, when he matures, will be at their level. I definitely see him in the top ten: he has a lot of power, a lot of ease and he runs the ball a lot. I think if mentally he continues like this - he just beat Djokovic! - and he has this ambition, everything is possible."
What can it mean for a 21-year-old to beat Djokovic?
"In the end, it's just one match, it doesn't mean you will become a phenomenon because you beat Novak. What he has to do is maintain that consistency every week, in every tournament he plays. Lorenzo must have the ambition to win, win and win again. Because he doesn't lack the tennis to do that. I think the healthy rivalry he has with Sinner can help him to have this ambition. Rafa (Nadal) has helped me a lot. He can build on that to become a top player, and I think he can become one."
If you were one of these young talents, would you prefer to work with a high-level coach or a less media-oriented one?
"It depends on the profile of the player. In my case, if I talk about the past when I was a top ten player, I missed a top coach at certain times. Not to understand tennis or coaching, but to have that ambition in the important moments, because a top player has lived these moments and can explain them to you, whereas a former player who was not a top player has never experienced them.
"In this sense, I think the figure of Juan Carlos Ferrero is perfect for Alcaraz, because Juan Carlos was the number one, when he was young he was also a star and he lived this pressure. And I think that helped Carlos a lot to know how to bear this extra pressure or play very important finals. Ferrero knows how it feels, to feel that fear and to be able to explain to the player that it is something logical and to give him that tranquillity is important. As a player, I never had that chance."
Matteo Berrettini is another of the last-minute absentees. He has just been injured. How do you come out mentally and physically from a negative dynamic like his?
"It's difficult. I fully understand the player's disappointment. Because of the injuries, Matteo (27) has not had the regularity he needed for a year and a half. Apart from the fact that he is already an established player in the top ten. Physically he is a very good tennis player, he has power in his shots and if he has some regularity and doesn't get injured again he will be there again.
"Mentally, the work of his entourage will be very important. He will have to stay close, but I know he will because I know his team very well and they are all very good. He will be back, but he has to learn to live with it and accept that injuries are part of our job. Well, his, not mine anymore (laughs)."
Leaving the field. Paula Badosa (25) says she is absolutely in favour of the normalisation of trash talk and she is not the only one. Does she agree?
"There may be some changes, but in the end, it is always a question of education and I consider education important for society. I do not agree. That it is done in other sports like basketball or football because there is contact and so on? Yes, that is true. That it is the right thing to do in tennis? No, I personally don't like it."
