Two weeks before the start of the French Open, Alexander Zverev received a lesson in the Madrid final. At the Masters 1000 event on Sunday, the Olympic champion was clearly beaten by young Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz 3:6, 1:6 and had no chance at all.
Helpless and powerless in the end: Alexander Zverev.
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The 19-year-old Alcaraz, who had already defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in the previous rounds, showed a strong performance on the clay court in the Caja Magica and in this form is one of the top favorites at the French Open in Paris, which starts in two weeks. Zverev, on the other hand, is still waiting for his first title win this year.
The German number one ungrudgingly acknowledged the Spaniard’s superiority after the one-sided game. “At the moment you are the best player in the world,” said Zverev in the direction of Alcaraz. “It’s great for tennis that we have such a new superstar who will win many Grand Slam titles in his career.”
It’s been an incredible week for me
For Alcaraz it was already the fourth tournament win this year. The Spaniard is the youngest tennis pro in ATP Tour history to defeat three top five players in a tournament. In the world rankings published this Monday, the Spaniard will improve to sixth place. “It’s been an incredible week for me,” said Alcaraz.
Zverev already knew what to expect before the game. “There is no limit for him,” Zverev, who has only been in the final of the small tournament in Montpellier this year, praised his opponent in the final. “This center court belonged to Rafael Nadal for 15 years, for the next 15 years it will probably belong to Carlos Alcaraz,” said the German number one, who won the tournament in Madrid in 2021.
Zverev miles away from defending the title
Zverev was miles away from defending his title on Sunday. Only at the beginning was he able to stand up to the crowd’s favourite. But the native of Hamburg gave up his serve for the first time to make it 2: 4, after which Alcaraz was unstoppable. While the Spaniard hit almost every ball, Zverev made many slight mistakes and never found his rhythm.
The 25-year-old was clearly tired. He had just finished his semi-final against the Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday morning at just after one o’clock. Alcaraz, on the other hand, had significantly more time to regenerate, although on Saturday he was on the pitch for more than three and a half hours against world number one Djokovic.
But you looked in vain for signs of wear on the high-flyer. Even his great idol Nadal wasn’t that young when he first triumphed in the Spanish capital. Alcaraz used his fourth match ball against Zverev after just over an hour.
Alcaraz cancels Masters in Rome
After his triumph in Madrid, Alcaraz will not start at the next Masters event as planned. Alcaraz canceled his participation in Rome due to a slight ankle problem. The 19-year-old does not want to take any risks with a view to the French Open, which begins in two weeks.
