Carlos Alcaraz is finding his best tennis after a difficult period, which began with the defeat against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Olympics. After winning the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships in succession, the Spanish ace was considered the great favorite also in the Olympic tournament that took place in the same courts as the French Open.
The former world number 1 reached the final without losing a single set and was favored against Djokovic, who had just won the Wimbledon final. The 24-time Grand Slam champion pulled off his best performance of the season just when he needed it, completing the puzzle and fulfilling the biggest dream of his career.
Frustrated and tired, Carlitos left prematurely both in Cincinnati and especially at the US Open. After losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in New York, the current world number 3 confided that he had taken a mental step back and that he still had a lot of work to do to become one of the best ever. The four-time Grand Slam champion beat French Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his debut at the ATP 500 in Beijing and will have to watch out for Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 16.
Alcaraz’s level is growing
Alcaraz finished in the same draw as Daniil Medvedev in Beijing and the two could face each other in the semifinals. Last year, the Spanish champion reached the semi-finals in China losing to Jannik Sinner. “The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can,” said Alcaraz after his first match in Beijing. “Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 km/h almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.
In the first game of the match I returned pretty well and played good points from the baseline. In the first game of the second set, he did three double faults, so it helped me a lot to break the serve. After that I had to be really focused for the next games, and I’m really happy I did it” – he added. The 21-year-old from Murcia has earned his mathematical qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, which will be one of his big goals alongside the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Carlitos had no drop during his debut in Beijing: ”When you play against a server like him, I am aware that every service game is very tough. That’s why when I saved three break points at 0-40 and finally took the set, it was very important to me. I got upset about what happened because I felt I didn’t have time between points, that I had to run and couldn’t take time to breathe or rest. I closed out a point at the net, which was the case, and I didn’t have time to grab the towel and do my routine. That upset me. Closing that set was very important to me and starting the second with that confidence. He made three double faults at the beginning of the second set, which helped me. I needed to stay very focused in the following games.”
The Spaniard is hungry
After the ATP 500 in Beijing, Alcaraz will play the Masters 1000 in Shanghai and then the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in Saudi Arabia in the middle of next month. The world number 3 has decided not to participate in the ATP 500 in Basel this year, while it will be present in Paris-Bercy before the ATP Finals.
In a recent interview, former French Open finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas paid tribute to Carlitos: “I watched Carlos in Berlin, it’s like seeing him from that perspective is so different than watching him on TV. In any other type of competition, I don’t really get to be that close and intimate with another top player like him. He’s one of the best players in the world right now, he’s won two Grand Slams this year and, to me, he’s an example.
I really want to follow in his footsteps and watch him play live to see what kind of patterns, what kind of behaviours and what kind of body language he shows on the court. It’s definitely something that I try to copy and try to incorporate into my own game.” The four-time Grand Slam champion is more than 4000 points away from Sinner in the ATP ranking.
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