Carlos Alcaraz links performance improvements to diet change: “More fish, less red meat”
What started with a blood test and a gluten-free diet is now a well-established and effective regimen that doesn't limit him on court.
For nearly half the time he’s been on the pro tour, Carlos Alcaraz has been near the top of the leaderboard.
Competing against the most seasoned players like Novak Djokovic, and the newest successors like Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz finds himself competing for greatness.
How, exactly, does the 21-year-old maintain that edge and push for greater results?
Alcaraz credits recent diet changes to be the key factor in his performance—although he wouldn’t consider his eating habits a strict “diet”.
“I don't follow a diet per se, but I do try to take care of myself,” he said in an interview with the ATP. “I'll eat whatever I want... If something comes my way that I like, I'm happy to take it.”
A big sushi lover, the Spaniard usually eats fish the night before a match. Right before his match, he eats a gluten-free mixed pasta, which he describes to be “pasta with gluten and gluten-free, with a cocoa cream called ambrosia that contains olive oil and dates.”
Unlike Roger Federer, infamous for his love of ice cream and chocolates, Alcaraz prefers to indulge in hamburgers and pizza, and the occasional kebab, especially when home in Murcia.
According to Alcaraz, his physiotherapist Jorge Moreno studies nutrition and guides Alcaraz before matches. Several years ago, following a blood test, it was Moreno who suggested a gluten-free forward diet.
Each player on tour follows a different nutritional routine, from Andy Murray who ate 6,000 calories a day to Novak Djokovic’s plant-based all-or-nothing approach, to Rafael Nadal who doesn’t believe in diets altogether.
As Alcaraz gears up for a second Nitto ATP Finals appearance, the effort towards nutrition will continue to support his performance.