Carlos Alcaraz reappeared on the tennis courts almost four months after his injury in the quarterfinals of the Masters 1,000 in Paris last year. The Murcian tennis player, number two in the world, defeated the Serbian Laslo Djere (6-2, 4-6 and 6-2) in his debut at the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires, in a match worked against a tough opponent, especially in clay, and that will serve as filming for the Spaniard, who needs minutes to return to the level of last season.
After missing the Australian Open due to an injury to the semimembranosus muscle in his right leg, the Buenos Aires tournament is Alcaraz’s first big date in this new and exciting course. In his debut in the Argentine tournament, the Murcian showed himself fully recovered, with that physical exuberance and dynamism to which he is accustomed.
He devastated Djere in a first set where he brought out his entire arsenal of tennis resources, with a prodigious forehand and with drop shots that broke the rhythm and made the Serbian tennis player desperate, who broke serve twice. His first set after 107 days out was excellent against a rocky player on clay and who came with more rolling than the number two in the world.
Djere precisely put on the work overalls in the second set and began to reduce his percentage of unforced errors. He also began to worry more about Alcaraz’s service turn, who only won three points in the first set with his service. The Spaniard also put the Serbian against the ropes three times, with 0-40 in the 2-2, a result that the Serb reversed, and with 15-40 in the 3-3 and 4-4, also traced back by Djere, who He did not fail in the final moments with his serve and did not concede any of the eight ‘break’ balls that the Spaniard enjoyed. Alcaraz drastically lowered his percentage of first serves and gave wings to the Serbian, who clung to the track when he had practically lost the game in two sets. He broke Murcia’s serve at 5-4, leaving masterful shots with his backhand, and extending the match to an unexpected third set.
The last and definitive manga followed the paths of the first. With a visibly tired Djere, Alcaraz imposed the law on him and broke his rival’s serve in the first game. The Spaniard, despite his inactivity, was very active at the end of the match, giving positive symptoms of his physical condition. He recovered his strength in his serve and punished the rest again with the 4-2, closing the match with an implausible drop shot to sign his first victory of the course.
His rival in the quarterfinals will be another Serbian, Dusan Lajovic. There is only one precedent between the two, and it is at the 2022 Australian Open, with a fast-track victory for the Spanish 6-2, 6-1 and 7-5.
«I am very far from the level with which I always play»
After closing his first victory of the course, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil was happy but aware that he still needs filming. “It’s my first match after four months, the first of the year, and it was a great first match for me, great tennis, but far from the level I always play at.”
«There have been several in which I have not known how to manage them, and that is given to you by the competition. That helps you handle those situations appropriately. Points that have been very fast and I have not been able to control myself, pause and I think that having played several games gives you that, that is what I lack, “added the Murcian tennis player.
He also had time to thank the Argentine parish for the great atmosphere experienced in his debut on the slopes in 2023. «For me it is a pleasure to live this experience in Argentina. I expected darling, but not that much. It’s my first round, my first match. The truth is that I feel at home, and that is truly appreciated, it has helped me a lot to have this environment and the affection of the people, “she said.
