'That is the key': Jimmy Connors shares secret with Carlos Alcaraz for continued success on clay court

Former world number one Jimmy Connors has shared important insight with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz to continue his dominance on the clay court. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with the likes of Italy’s Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz is going through a good outing on the clay court. He recently lifted the Monte-Carlo Masters after beating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the final with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0. The young Spaniard is currently taking part in the Barcelona Open, where he cemented his spot in the final of the competition after beating France’s Arthur Fils in straight sets with a score of 6-2, 6-4.

Former world number one Connors has been recently quoted in a report where he shared important insights with Alcaraz to continue dominating on the clay court. The 72-year-old was of the opinion that the secret to continuing to dominate on clay court is to ‘keep grinding’.

“Keep grinding, because when you keep grinding, the better player, not always, but the majority of the time, is going to come out on top, because he figures out a game to turn a game which is only 70 or 80% into a winner,” he said. “That is the key. You can’t play 100% every time. Turning a game where you don’t feel right, or your game is not in order, or you are a little lethargic to still come out and win. That is what makes a great player in my opinion, but that is just my opinion. He has that ability. Especially on the clay. He is in a comfort zone now. Not that he isn’t on every other surface, because he has won other Grand Slams, but I think clay is a good comfort zone for him leading into the French, Wimbledon and the US Open. Once you hit the French, you have three or four months of strenuous tennis at the majors and if you can get on a roll at that time, wow, that is great.”