Carlos Alcaraz is “emotionally drained” he needs to carefully consider his playing schedule in future in order to have enough “mental rest” between events, according to renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou.

After the highs of winning back-to-back Grand Slams when he lifted titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, Alcaraz didn’t have much time to celebrate his achievements as he was soon off to Paris for the 2024 Olympics.

Just weeks after beating Djokovic in straight sets in the Wimbledon final, Alcaraz lost the gold medal match in Paris against the Serbian in two sets.

There was once again no time for rest as he was back in action at the Cincinnati Open soon after, but he was upset by Gael Monfils in his first match before being stunned by Botic van de Zandschlup in the second round of the US Open.

Alcaraz made surprise comments after his Flushing Meadows defeat, stating: “Right now, I feel like I’ve taken steps backwards mentally and I don’t understand why.

“I’ve had a spectacular summer at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. I left those tournaments saying that I’d taken a step forward mentally. I’d realised that to win big things, to win Grand Slam titles, you have to be mentally strong.

“Now I’ve reached this swing and I’ve taken steps backwards, like I’m not doing well mentally, I’m not strong. I don’t know how to control myself when faced with problems and I don’t know how to handle it.”

Mouratoglou says Alcaraz’s early defeat in New York was not such a big surprise as it was clear that the 21-year-old was drained after his recent experiences.

“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.”

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After losing against Djokovic in the semi-final of the 2023 French Open, Alcaraz later admitted that he cramped and struggled with the pressure of being one of the favourites.

Mouratoglou suggested that Alcaraz doesn’t yet have the emotional maturity of greats Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic and urged his team to be more careful with his schedule in future.

He added: “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 – mental rest, not physical rest. Mental rest. I think it is very important for his future.”