Budding Tennis Star Carlos Alcaraz Dominates in Queen’s Club Tournament

In this process of filming and adaptation to the medium, Carlos Alcaraz enjoys a true blessing. He arrives in the form of the scared, uptight and fearful Czech Jiri Lehecka through and through. Destroyed as soon as he jumped onto the track. In short, there is no game, or rather a little: 6-2 and 6-3. Insubstantial? Nothing of that. Seen in perspective, the monologue contributes. Carlos Alcaraz commented a couple of days ago: “What I need is to spend hours on the track, play as much as I can because on this surface [ocho partidos] I lack experience.” And despite the fact that the clock does not last too long, with the duel resolved in 1h 25m, the Murcian wins another round and, consequently, more filming, another match and a new opportunity – this Friday in the quarterfinals (around 6:30 p.m., Movistar ), against the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov– to continue acclimatizing and getting the pulse of what is so difficult to play on grass.

“I am very happy with my level today. I have been very solid, I have been able to play my game and I have enjoyed it a lot”, Alcaraz values, satisfied and smiling –“keep smiling, Carlitos, keep smiling”, insists a British journalist– after a pleasant afternoon of bathing and massage, of a relaxing walk through the charming club of Queen’s and to collect vitamins, which are sorely needed. Little to do with the premiere on Tuesday, when the Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech made him sweat profusely (2h 33m) and he rallied submerged in doubt for a long time. With a good handful of training sessions already in the tank and more established, the number two hits, enjoys and flutters this time. He rehearses without much, if not little, opposition, and he ranks among the top eight players in the tournament without giving up anything. The speech, moderated upon arrival in London, is transformed into a 48-hour interval.

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“Have your expectations changed after this victory?” Asks the interlocutor at the foot of the track. And Alcaraz, who a few days ago recognized that he had not set the bar too high just in case, that is why his journey on the green is so short and that acquiring the automatisms requires time, poses and probably more defeats than calculated , replies: “They will probably change, probably. After offering this level, expectations change”, remarks the man from El Palmar. “I think I’m ready to get a good result here. I’m going to play my first quarters here and I want to enjoy it. This is a very beautiful place and I’m going for it”, continues the number two in the world, who in the event of winning the trophy on Sunday would snatch the world throne from the Serbian Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz (20 years old) emphasizes that the hours of work are noticing and that the automatisms are reaching his racket. They corroborate its fluidity and mobility, more natural and less mechanical than on the day of the premiere. Play without thinking, key. “I feel very comfortable, but I need hours on court,” repeats the Spaniard, who despite his inexperience sums up his layout on grass in six wins and two losses, those suffered in the last two years at Wimbledon against Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner. Collaborating in this latest advance Lehecka, who has still tested the surface less than him and suffers bombardment from the bottom line. If the serve was enough for Rinderknech and stalking the net with faith to rebut, the Czech (21 years old, right-handed and 36th in the ATP) is condemned from the beginning with his indecision. He doesn’t carry a single bullet. All the nerve and audacity that he showed at the beginning of the year in Australia (fourths) goes down the drain.

Alcaraz opens the gap quickly and at the end, when the rival tries to timidly make up, his genius put the finishing touch on a fruitful performance. He knows little and then stays for a while to rally, to polish here and there. Few gifts like this will be found. If anything, good vibes at Queen’s. “Winning the tournament was not in my head, far from it; the goal was to feel better and better. But now, once we’re in the quarterfinals, I want to win. By not putting myself as one of the favourites, which I am not, the pressure goes away and you play much more relaxed ”, he concludes.

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2023-06-22 16:57:16
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