Alcaraz encourages a year off of Nadal

In June he pointed out that it was going to be a disastrous year for Spanish tennis. Rafael Nadal gave up the crown at Roland Garros in the semifinals against a Novak Djokovic who was going to equal him in Grand Slam titles and left Paris touched his foot, an injury that at that time it was not known would have him off the slopes practically the rest of the season. Before, Nadal had won in Barcelona and Rome, but he had hit it in Monte Carlo and Madrid, in addition to wasting, at the beginning of the year, a two-set lead against Stefanos Tsitsipas in Australia.

The Spaniard ended up leaving Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, due to restrictions in these tournaments and due to a foot problem that was getting bigger and that, despite allowing him to return to Washington to play two games, ended his season four months ahead of schedule and at the end of the year he was infected with covid. Neither the US Open, nor the Davis Cup, nor the ATP Finals in Turin. Nadal barely played 29 games (24-5), a record low since he became a professional. He played even less than in 2020, when the pandemic stopped and played 34 games (27-7).

This has made him see from the sidelines how Djokovic equaled 20 Grand Slam both to him and a Roger Federer facing retirement after his third knee operation. The Swiss has played 13 games since February 2020 and does not have a definite return date. He has also seen the Serbian stay at the gates of the Golden Slam, losing in the semifinals of Tokyo, in the bronze medal against Pablo Carreño and in the final of the US Open, and surpass the record of more weeks as number one. Djokovic now has 356 weeks, well above the 310 that Federer set as a bar.

The one from Belgrade touched with his fingertips the best season in the history of men’s tennis and the record of Steffi Graf, the only person to win the five great titles in the same year, while his two greatest contemporary rivals battle against injuries outside track. The witness of antithesis of Djokovic has been collected by Daniil Medvedev, winner of the Davis Cup, ATP Cup and the United States Open and deserved number two in the world.

The concerns in Spanish tennis were scared away by Carlos Alcaraz, who emerged as the promise and who in 2021 has established himself as one of the best young people in the world, if not the best.

The one from El Palmar started the year as number 141 in the world and has ended it bordering on getting into the top 30. Alcaraz, who in 2020 had made his way through victories in the Challengers, debuted his locker this year at Grand Slams in Australia and began to shine in Marbella, where he reached the semifinals. But no one could predict what would happen next.

Baptism in Madrid

In Madrid he was baptized, taking advantage of an invitation to get his first triumph in a 1,000 Masters and contest, playing against Nadal in the Manolo Santana of the Madrid tournament. It was just the appetizer of a few masterful months. Alcaraz passed the Roland Garros qualifier, reached the third round, improving the records of Djokovic and Federer in their Grand Slam debuts, and at Wimbledon he won his first five-set match.

In Umag, Croatia, two weeks after the London grass, he won his first ATP title. The youngest to do so in thirteen years. His progression was no longer barrier. Previous surpassed in Cincinnati, third semifinals of the course in Winston Salem and pitch at the US Open, where he beat his first top 3, Stefanos Tsitsipas and climbed to the quarterfinals. The youngest to do so since 1963.

He got into the top 50 in the world and crowned the year by winning the Next Gen Finals in Milan, certifying his status as best youngster at just 18 years old. By 2022 it is already between eyebrows to get among the top 15 in the ranking and play the Masters Cup at the end of the year.