Carlos Alcaraz during his match against Andrey Rublev, at the Masters, in Turin (Italy), Wednesday November 15, 2023. ANTONIO CALANNI / AP
By easily defeating (7-5, 6-2) the Russian Andrey Rublev (5th), Wednesday November 15, Carlos Alcaraz (2nd) won the first match of his career at the Masters, which brings together the eight best players of the season at Turin (Italy). In order to qualify for the semi-finals, he will have to beat another Russian, Daniil Medvedev (3rd), Friday November 17.
“I am very happy with this victory. I managed to raise my level of play in important moments and that gives me confidence. I’m going to have to be at my best against Daniil.”reacted the Spaniard after the match.
Placed in the red group, the Murcian had started his tournament badly with an inaugural defeat in three sets (6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4), Monday November 13, against the German Alexander Zverev (7th). ). A result in line with his momentum in recent weeks: since his coronation at Wimbledon in July, against world number 1, Novak Djokovic, the 20-year-old prodigy has been marking time.
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“My bad streak? I probably attribute it to mental fatigue. The year has been very long, very demanding. I have to improve to get to this point of the year in better condition, especially mentally. Probably this fatigue is due to a very high level of demand for so long. confided the world number 2 daily in spanish As after his defeat against Alexander Zverev.
Many physical glitches
His last two tournaments ended prematurely: defeated in the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai (China) by the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov (14th), the Spaniard then lost in the first round at Paris-Bercy against the Russian Roman Safiullin (39ᵉ). In the meantime, he had to withdraw from the tournament in Basel (Switzerland) due to a problem with the arch of his left foot and muscle fatigue in the lumbar area.
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Like his illustrious compatriot Rafael Nadal, to whom he is often compared for his precocity and his energetic game, it is also on the physical level that Carlos Alcaraz seems to be failing at the end of the season. Already in 2022, he had experienced a decline in performance at the end of the year: after his first Grand Slam coronation at the US Open and his arrival at number one in the world, he had not done better than a semi-final in Basel. Then, with an abdominal injury, he had to give up at Paris-Bercy and withdraw from the Masters.
This year, Alcaraz has been in the infirmary several times, notably to treat an injury and then a tear in his right hamstring, post-traumatic arthritis in his left hand or even muscular discomfort in his spine – which did not prevent him from winning six titles including a Grand Slam and two Masters 1000 (Indian Wells and Madrid). And, unlike last year, he can still hope to end his season on a good note.
