The first Alcaraz – Sinner of the year arrived soon. It was expected that it could have been played on February 1, in the final of the Australian Open, just as they have played the final match of the last three Grand Slams, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open. Melbourne is the title that has eluded the Spaniard, the quarterfinals are his limit; On the other hand, the Italian, champion for the last two seasons, is beginning to take over. But that will be in the distant future. Before They have seen each other in an exhibition duel in South Koreaat the Inspire Resort Arena, before 12,000 spectators.
It is the third match that Carlos has played since he put an end to last season at the ATP Finals, precisely in another duel with Sinner, but “for real.” He played two in the United States in December, against Tiafoe and Fonseca, and on this occasion he faced his great rival. This meeting will report to each one, as reported by the “Gazzetta”, two million euros. The reward is great for a game played at less than half throttle. The winner in Australia, after two weeks of tension and seven best-of-five-set duels, pockets 2.6 million.
More exhibition than tension
The economic factor is a determining factor, almost irresistible, to play. Another may be that it is a luxury training, although It may not be ideal to show your weapons so early against your most important opponent. They didn’t do it either. That the result was not the most important thing was noted in the second game, when Alcaraz hit from behind and Sinner, instead of winning the volley, placed the ball for the Spaniard to reach… And tried to respond with another shot from behind. Or shortly after, when they exchanged no less than 20 backhands cross-cuts, who got tired first, with the enthusiastic Korean public “ohhing” almost with every action.
The track was very fast, another drawback of the match, since it would have been better to have conditions similar to those of Melbourne Park. But Basically this is not part of the preparation for the first Grand Slam of the season either, it is like a parenthesis. Exhibitions are actually nothing new. Björn Borg, for example, gave up playing at Roland Garros to tour the United States, also in a few years when tennis was not made as much money nor records were seen as now. Nowadays that is unthinkable, the “friendly” ones always arrive during the interwar moments of the big tournaments.
The match moved between laughter and complicity of both tennis players and with the added difficulty of the speed of the court, which made them both play content at times. They put the exhibition mode on several more moments: they repeated the backhands cut with angled shots; There was space on the other side, but they kept shooting there, to see who missed first, until the Spaniard ran out of space; also at a time when the Murcian was in the volley and his rival was in the background, but he threw the ball to him so that he would come back several times, as if it were a warm-up.
There was interaction with the public, with Sinner giving a ball to a fan and giving him the heart gesture; and, especially, when in the second set he gave the racket to a kid who was in the stands, in the front row, to dispute the next point. Alcaraz made it easy for him, logically. On the first attempt the kid got nervous, and he failed, but then he hit a forehand, another, another… And he put the ball on the line. “40-40,” the referee chanted. The point went up on the scoreboard.
The game was 7-5 and 2-2. Carlos had taken the first set and From that moment on the grief became something more real.. The laughter continued, when, for example, a ball hit the tape and passed, but the exchanges were already intense. The intention to win was seen for the first time. The tie-break of the second set was played with everything. The Murcian took it with a right cross to which Jannik was forced: 7-5 and 7-6 (8/6).
The number one and two in the world hugged each other, and they will go practically straight to the plane. A ten-hour flight awaits them, some 8,500 kilometers, to Melbourne, where the serious stuff will begin.
