SecondEven for the most precocious and talented tennis players, a great career doesn’t develop without pain. Carlos Alcaraz burst onto the ATP Tour, breaking the age record and winning his first Grand Slam title at the US Open before a stunning victory at Wimbledon last year. However, we have encountered many challenges in the 11 months since our last victory.
Alcaraz has been sidelined by multiple injuries as his body attempts to keep up with his immense strength and athleticism, including a sprained ankle during a match at this year’s Rio Open and a right forearm injury that severely damaged his ’s clay court season, forcing him to withdraw from tournaments in Monte Carlo, Rome and Barcelona. He arrived at the French Open after playing just four matches during the clay-court season.
When Alcaraz is healthy enough to compete at full strength, things still aren’t always perfect. With such a variety of playing styles and the ability to hit so many different balls, the problem really comes down to choosing the right ball. The series of tough losses came as Alcaraz’s tennis was inconsistent, he was knocked off the court with unforced errors and he was unable to adapt when things didn’t go his way. Alcaraz has won just once since Wimbledon.
For the best players, adversity is an opportunity to improve. Against Jannik Sinner on Friday, Alcaraz once again proved what a great learner he is. After starting so slowly, he adjusted his game. When he found himself trailing two to one, he didn’t panic. He even managed to control and hide his nervous cramps, a stark contrast to a year ago, when Alcaraz’s full-body cramps were so severe that he was unable to play normally in the final two sets against Djokovic.
This final appearance reflects the growing maturity of Alcaraz, who reached the French Open final for the first time with extremely high stakes. Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer haven’t appeared in a French Open final in 20 years, and it’s another time for Alcaraz to continue to prove himself as the next great player Opportunities for arguments.
Following wins at the 2022 US Open and 2023 Wimbledon, Alcaraz is now the youngest male player to reach a Grand Slam final on all three venues and will try to win his first Three Grand Slam champions and ranks himself among the illustrious group of three-time champions: Andy Murray, Arthur Ashe, Stan Wawrinka, Gustavo Kuerten and Jan Ko Des.
Although Alcaraz is the favorite when Sunday begins, it will be a huge challenge. His best performance against Alexander so far in the Spaniard’s young career Zverev provided insight into his strengths and weaknesses. This will be their 10th meeting, with the German Alcaraz team becoming the most frequent opponent at the ATP level. Although Zverev’s two wins came at a time when Alcaraz was just establishing himself on the 2021 Tour, it’s worth noting that Zverev has a 5-4 record against the Spaniard lead.
All four of Alcaraz’s wins were extremely one-sided, all ending in straight sets. His talent was on display in every game, as he completely overwhelmed Zverev in baseline exchanges, exposed his backcourt position with lobs and net attacks, and took full advantage of his opponent’s second serves.
But every time he enters a match even slightly off his game, such as this year’s Australian Open quarterfinals and 2022’s French Open, those occasions turn into long stretches for Alcaraz night. Zverev’s serve, while inconsistent in the past and prone to double faults, has improved exponentially since he lowered his toss this year.
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Not only is he a great server, his high first-server percentage unsettled the Spaniard against Alcaraz, and his ability to play beautiful counter-attacking tennis also frustrated him at times.
Zverev has been knocking on the door of this special event, reaching four consecutive semi-finals in Paris while also winning four Clay Court Masters 1000 titles. Once hailed as the heir to the throne, he often generates some extra motivation when he faces players who appear to be in the role.
For Alcaraz, reaching the finals has been a huge effort. In addition to the growth he’s shown in his running game, he’s managed to find his way despite less than ideal preparation due to injury. Now he will try to beat one of the toughest opponents under the pressure of a Grand Slam.
