« Playing with pain is normal for a tennis player »… up to a certain point, could have added Carlos Alcaraz. He learned it the hard way in the final in Rio against Cameron Norrie. His physique cracked. The day before, he was already on the rim with a sore left thigh.
In the euphoria of victory against Nicolas Jarry, he told himself that it would hold. It could have … He led 7-5, 3-0 (0-30) and was heading for a ninth victory in a row in twelve days and a second title after that of Buenos Aires. Then the dam broke. It was no longer the left thigh but the right, the one that forced him to forfeit the Australian Open.
He found himself with his thigh bandaged, broken in the third set (2-3), pissed off as ever. He tore off the strap and chatted with his clan. Quit or not? In the offseason, he insisted during training and took a few more weeks off. He decided to go on and let go of the arm. Result: eight stratospheric winners. He looked for the K.-O. on each strike, a cushioning, a forehand club, a service-volley and even a service with the spoon punished by the Briton.
On one leg, he tried everything, delivered brilliant strikes, but his opponent held on. Experienced Cameron Norrie let the lightning pass and did not change his plans to win 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 in 2:41. Beyond the defeat, the 2nd world can feed a real frustration. He is still injured. The next step in Acapulco looks more than compromised.
