It was just over two years ago that I first heard his name. Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image. With the necessary measure in these cases and a certain natural skepticism when it comes to young promises, I decided to analyze that player who was 15 years old at that time and what I saw amazed me. I immediately had the feeling that something great could be forged and much more knowing that he was betting on enrolling in the Academia JC Equelite and would be advised by a former player of infinite intelligence and emotional balance, such as Juan Carlos Ferrero. Two years later, the Murcian is exceeding all possible expectations and is already one of the most outstanding the ATP Challenger Tour.
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Champion of three titles (Trieste, Barcelona and Alicante) and a finalist in Cordenons, this young man goes through weeks of enormous physical and mental demand with a naturalness unbecoming of his age. The most remarkable thing about him is that what impresses the most is not his level of play, but his simply brilliant management of emotions on the court, as well as his tactical clairvoyance in the selection of shots. He does not despair one iota when they come wrong, he shows infinite tenacity in battle and his performance rises at each peak moment. Proof of this is that it accumulates a balance of 13-2 in their favor in tiebreaks played this season, something worthy of a star and unseemly for a player of his age.
There are not many who at their age were protagonists in the ATP Challenger Tour. The level of this circuit does not stop growing, but Carlos devours rivals without stopping. Last year he already had promising skirmishes in Murcia and Seville, but few could imagine that at this point in 2020 he would present a balance of 19 wins and 3 losses. Nothing better than looking in history books to put his successes in context and what we find causes chills. Alcaraz has become the second youngest player to win three ATP Challenger titles under the age of 18 and shares a staff with famous names such as the following:
- Richard Gasquet: 16 years and 10 months with titles in Montabaun 2002, Sarajevo and Naples 2003, also winning in Reggio and Grenoble.
- Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image: 17 years and 5 months with degrees in Trieste, Barcelona and Alicante in 2020.
- Felix Auger-Aliassime: 17 years, 10 months and 9 days with titles in Lyon and Seville (in 2017) and Lyon 2018.
- Juan Martin del Potro: 17 years, 10 months and 13 days with titles in Montevideo 2005, Aguascalientes and Segovia 2006.
- Novak Djokovic: 17 years and 11 months with degrees in Aaachen and Budapest (in 2004) and San Remo 2005.
How can Carlos Alcaraz’s game be defined and in what aspects does he have room for improvement?
Possibly the most exciting thing about this boy is that there are obvious signs that he can make a lot of progress. To begin with, his age leaves open the possibility that he could grow a centimeter more than the 185cm in height that he now presents. That would allow him to have a somewhat greater margin to progress in the service, his great pending issue to be able to perform with greater guarantees on hard court. His right hand is amazing; He has the ability to print a lot of spin, he accelerates the ball well thanks to a physical power that is above average for his age and which will surely continue to increase, and he has the natural ability to make outstanding variations with the drop.
He is a very balanced player at the back of the court, with good legs and the ability to defend himself effectively, but his way of understanding the game is to dictate the points, get on the court and command with his extensive technical resources. He performs very well on the net, something less and less common in young players, and with his backhand he does not lose initiative and is able to switch to the parallel more easily than expected.
It is necessary to be cautious, but the sensations cannot be better. In a country accustomed to tennis glory for decades, meeting a young man who enjoys these conditions is an infinite gift to continue the widespread interest that has been aroused by this sport. The prolongation of ATP Challenger Tour until December and the recurrence of tournaments on clay may give the possibility to Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image to get very close to the top-100, a goal that seemed unaffordable in the short term, but which its superb performance makes it feasible right now. The next appointment will be in Marbella, from the week of October 26 to November 1.
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