The most difficult moment in the trajectory of a young promise is the one in which expectations begin. From one day to the next you go from being an exciting novelty with a prodigious future that is praised for every little thing to being the favorite for the next game, the next tournament, the next season., almost without solution of continuity. Psychologically, it is an almost unbearable adventure: from enthusiasm to win the first round of an ATP 250 you go to disappointment at not making it to the quarterfinals of an indoor Masters 1000.
In those is Carlos Alcaraz and that was shown yesterday when he gave up seven consecutive games in the second set to Hugo Gaston and with them the round of 16 match in Paris-Bercy. Gaston is not a very media name and is outside the top 100 of the ATP, but he is still a twenty-one-year-old boy with enormous talent, who played at home and had the whole public in his favor in a more environment own of the Davis Cup. And there, Alcaraz felt that he had to win, that it was his obligation, that his place was already with the Medvedevs, the Zverevs and company.When in fact just getting there beating Jannick Sinner so easily was worth a whole tournament.
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Carlos mentally collapsed and began to give up serve after serve. He couldn’t handle the pressure and lost the game, with an anxiety attack and tears in between. Well managed, this attack is good news and everything suggests that your environment is spoiling you in that sense. Good to know what pressure is at this level. It’s good to face her and it’s good that she defeats you. Enough of always heroic tales. Our heroes also cry, they also look overwhelmed and also feel helpless when things do not go as they would like.
During the last months, we have only remembered that Alcaraz was eighteen when he broke a record for precocity. He is not a kid, okay, but all this is new for him, it is part of a long and hard process that he has to learn as his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, learned at the time. Finding yourself in such a situation at this age can only make you stronger: you remember it, you assimilate it, you promise yourself that it will not happen again and, in any case, you assume that it is part of the game.or. Another day, you will lose 5-0 and win 5-7. This is tennis.
Since Alcaraz began to be talked about as a promise of Spanish tennis, there has been an even excessive effort not to overexpose the boy to the media. An attempt to relax expectations and pressure. Alcaraz is not only one of the most promising youngsters on the circuit but he is also an offensive player, called to attract the attention of many fans and experts. His matches are seen and from him a normal performance is not expected, a rude victory, but a lot of missiles with the right that clean the lines.
That, obviously, is impossible, but the merit is in making us believe that it is not. Sometimes, it seems that we talk too much about Carlos Alcaraz, and it is normal considering the lamentable current state of Spanish tennis, which, after almost thirty glorious years, has waters everywhere. Now, it is a misleading sensation: there is not a “too much” for what Carlos Alcaraz is doing this season.. It’s not just that he’s going to finish the year in the top thirty in the world, but he’s done it by beating several top-10s along the way, reaching the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam and shining on all surfaces.
The ATP ranking is so tricky at times that a good player on a single surface can sneak into the upper-middle class of the circuit. So can someone who only shines in a lot of small tournaments. It was not the case of Alcaraz: champion in the land of Umag, quarter-finalist in the cement of Flushing Meadows and winner of Murray, Berrettini or the aforementioned Sinner in the fast covered tracks of Vienna and Paris. We haven’t seen such an explosive entry into the circuit in years. Of course, in a Spaniard, this versatility at this age is unheard of.
For that reason, also, what of this Thursday against Gaston is important. Adversity. There has been little adversity this year for Alcaraz, other than a couple of pesky injuries. Adversity is what makes the athlete grow. It erodes and shapes it. Knowing how to manage pressure, knowing how to manage adversity is basic in this sport and in anyone. It is important that this pressure is presented as soon as possible. Much more important than winning five challengers or three second-rate tournaments. Alcaraz already knows that he can do that and that he will do so in the future. It remains for him to know how he will behave when everyone expects something more from him and the public is hostile towards him because they fear his talent. In Paris, he has had his first touchstone. It was necessary for me to have it. From here, to continue upwards.
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