Spaniard Alcaraz has had two very intense months
Carlos Alcaraz has had two very intense months, in which he achieved extraordinary results. The Spaniard became the youngest player ever to win the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in the same year, before winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old from Murcia was the big favourite to win the gold medal, but Novak Djokovic pulled off an incredible performance in the final and made his career dream come true. The final of the Olympic tennis tournament was the best match of the season so far, with the Serbian making a difference in both tiebreaks.
The four-time Grand Slam champion did not play the Montreal Masters 1000 last week, while in Cincinnati he was eliminated by Gael Monfils playing a terrible match. The former world number 1 made a lot of unforced errors, complained about the speed of the court and even broke a racket during the match.
Carlitos will focus on the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, where he will try to repeat his 2022 triumph. Alcaraz won his first Major in New York two years ago, beating Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals at the end of one of the most spectacular matches of recent years.
Carlitos will focus on the US Open
Carlos Alcaraz wants to make a big impression at the US Open and will be in New York well in advance to test the conditions of the courts. According to the latest rumours, the courts in New York will be faster than in previous editions. Meanwhile, the outfit that Carlitos will wear during this edition of the US Open has been revealed. The former world number one will be wearing a black, sleeveless shirt.
In the last few hours, an important announcement has been made regarding the 2024 US Open. The highly contested match point in the match between Jack Draper and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the Cincinnati Master 1000 has brought back a series of speeches related to the possibility of watching the replay on the field for some situations such as double bounce.
The decision of the chair umpire, complicated in itself for the dynamics and speed of the point, penalized the Canadian in the end, who accepted it after several minutes to ask explanations to the referee and supervisor: The handshake with the British and his return of the locker rooms have closed a matter that is still to be discussed in the coming days.
The video review technology (VRT), much demanded by tennis players, will be active at the US Open: in fact, since last year, this tool has started to accompany the traditional hawk-eye. The only peculiarity is that it is not foreseen on all courts: for the moment the technology is usable on the five main courts, the Arthur Ashe, the Louis Armstrong, the Grandstand, the 5 and 17 fields.
The regulation defines the cases in which it is possible to request the intervention of the VRT: for example, double bounce, uneven touch, if the player touched the net while the ball was in play, invasion of an athlete on the opposing field, hindrance (the evaluation on a ball actually disturbed). It is not allowed to ask for a verification on foot faults or possible time violations. There are several players who have proposed to implement this technology in other major tournaments.
The Spaniard is a little tired
Alcaraz will have to work hard to find the best conditions on the hard court. The Spaniard admitted that he was not at all comfortable in Cincinnati: “I felt like I was playing a different sport on the center court compared to the other courts. The ball was faster, much more so than on the others. I warmed up before the match, and it was a completely different feeling, I don’t know why. I don’t know what happened, why I felt this way. I couldn’t control myself, I couldn’t be better, so this match was impossible to win, and that’s it.”
He continued: “I always go to tournaments thinking I have a chance to win, wanting to show good tennis on the court, but I came thinking I would feel good, I know how to play on these courts, but I felt that the surfaces were completely different, like another sport. I want to forget about this match and focus on New York. We will go there soon, and I will try to train and adapt to the courts. I want to forget about this match because it’s impossible to take anything good from this match.” Carlitos will have less than a week to reach his best form at the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz’ kit for the US Open.
Dark vibes.
(via tennis_street IG) pic.twitter.com/wMmf0FFt67
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 17, 2024
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