The 18-year-old Spaniard fell in the second round (5-7, 6-3, 6-2) to an opponent who was almost twice his age.
It was not the dream debut in the Californian desert nor the display of courage and illusion expected. TO Carlos Alcaraz placeholder image, the new sensation of Spanish tennis, a tennis legend like Andy Murray, one of the Big Four, national hero in the United Kingdom, winner of three Grand Slams and former world number one. The Murcian gave battle in the three hours on the track but ended up yielding to the first change in the Masters 1.000 de Indian Wells, 5-7, 6-3 and 6-2.
The duel of veteran against youth was taken by Murray, who believes that he can still compete at the best level despite the many voices that he says to leave him. And boy can he. He took the last two sleeves and the first should have been his also against a still green Alcaraz despite his quarterfinals in New York from a few weeks ago.
His nerves took a toll on him from the start, giving a break at the first exchange and giving away many points. It was enough for the Scots to put it into play and wait for the failure of the Murcian, very imprecise during the first three games. But in the fourth, the initial anxiety began to shake off, to show the enormous personality that the tennis of the Murcian from El Palmar.
Know how to wait
He began to carbure his two-handed backhand and make the British run, attacking his great Achilles heel from his serious hip injury that almost forced him to leave the tracks permanently in 2019. From the initial 3-0 he went on to put a 4 -4 on the scoreboard and assert his status as a favorite, not only because of youth and fitness but also because of ATP ranking. One is fired like a rocket – it is number 38 in the world – and the other is in decline, located at 121.
Murray had great moments, pulling the class that he treasures and that the Californian public knew how to thank him. He even had a set ball to take a first that always seemed his, brushing 4-0 after wasting balls of break. Alcaraz knew how to wait until he built a comeback between the inaccuracies of the English and his own courage, with an imposing crossed backhand that meant the break in the eleventh game to seal a worked 7-5 -in one hour and six minutes-, his first set in the considered fifth grandand the circuit.
Already warmed up Alcaraz was a source of despair for Murray when he opened the second set. He pulled for speed and repertoire, with a superb collection of sluts that seemed to be slowly pulling the British out of the game. Alcaraz looked for the finishing touch in the fifth game on Murray’s serve but could not close any of the four break options available to him.
Firmness to the rest
That gave air to the former world number one, who managed to reverse the trend and force a third sleeve to the delight of the public, with 14 unforced errors by an Alcaraz who sinned innocent in key points. Murray, for his part, was helped by his impeccable record for the rest, with 98% returns over the first of his rival.
The 18-year-old felt the blow. I changed the gesture and the rhythm. The break in the first game of the third set confirmed the bad feelings, despite giving everything in his attempt to come back. Murray found his best version and set course for the goal, with a triumph over one of the emerging figures of world tennis that will surely give him reason to extend his legendary career a little more.
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