In addition to his undeniable class, in Madrid he once again demonstrated his physical prowess in tough matches against Nadal and Djokovic. They have found consistency and have a balance of 10 wins in 16 matches against the ‘top ten’.

Djokovic, almost 35, and Nadal, almost 36, compete over time. They know that the time is coming when they will hunt them down and put an end to their huge ambitions. His goals are big. The rest of the calendar uses it as a way of getting ready to keep their pulse on a specific place in history. They accept it without hesitation. They manage their deadline to seek out their best version at Roland Garros, which is now the next port in the special category. Others, even being young, such as Tsitsipas or Zverev, begin to fear that rice might pass them. They do not peak. And they reveal obvious signs of anxiety. just turned 19 Alkaraz plays freely, like someone who has a whole life ahead of him, without the scars of the past, oblivious to the crowd, free of frustrations. Along with the freshness of the newcomer, the innate enthusiasm of his tennis proposition has a lot to do with it. Alcaraz has already defeated all four of them, up to three times the Greek.

Mercian has played in five final tables of Grand Slam tournaments, sealing the quarter-finals of the 2021 United States Open. It was there that he dealt the first major blow of his career, defeating Tsitsipas in the third round, although he had already won the ATP 250 in Umag. Alkaraz won 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(2), 0-6 and 7-6(5) in four hours and seven minutes. It is the second longest match of his life, three minutes before he had fought against Matteo Berrettini before falling in the third round of the previous Australian Open.

has 15 meetings big companies, four of them are consuming all five partly. That’s 10 wins. For the first time in his career, he will be among the top contenders to lift the Cup at Roland Garros. Rest in Rome after winning the Conde de God and Mutua Madrid Open. After winning in Miami he commented in an interview with this newspaper and four other Spanish media outlets, “I want to win my second Masters 1000 on clay”. mission accomplished. Arriving in Paris with ten wins in a row and right now, with more wins than anyone this season, looking forward to what Tsitsipas does at Foro Italico: 28. Only three defeats: the above against Berrettini, the Indian Wells semi-final against Nadal and the second round of Monte Carlo against Sebastian Korda.

“I’m really excited to win the Grand Slam. It’s better to rest, recover from my ankle and my foot, and be in Paris at 100%,” he said after eliminating world number three Alexander Zverev this Sunday . Madrid Final… In New York, after defeating Tsitsipas, he had to retire after losing 6-3 and 3-1 to Felix Auger-Aliassim due to a fibrillar rupture in the quadriceps of his left leg. He was chained for 12-and-a-half hours in the last three matches.

Sharp and Meticulous Precision

From November 13, 2021, the date on which he won the Youth Masters, where he showed that he was already several bodies above the other seven competitors, he did not compete until the previous January 17. He was going to do so in the Davis Cup final, but he contracted Kovid. He took a few days off before going through an intense and meticulous six-week pre-season run, with lots of aerobic and muscle-strengthening work. strength and resistance. The transformation in his body was spectacular.

The results are already clear. He spent three hours and 40 minutes on the court in the semi-finals of the Condé de God and saved two match points against Alex de Miaur. A few hours later, he allowed only five games to Pablo Carrio in the final. In Madrid, even though it was the best tournament, he spent two hours 39 minutes in Manolo Santana to beat Nadal and three hours and 35 minutes to beat Djokovic.

His body, head and excellent tennis stand out from everyone else. Get better with every match. The first two rounds at the Magic Box didn’t shine, perhaps due to height adjustments. He did it when he needed it the most, when the tournament was heating up. The quarter, against Djokovic, was better than against Nadal in the round of 16, where a fall at the start of the second set troubled him until it briefly knocked him out of the match. With the Serbian he saw himself as a more stable player, less conditioned by his state of mind. He was irresistible in the final.

He has won 10 of his 16 ‘top 10’ matches against tennis players, joining an elite club after winning the title in Barcelona and where he jumped from ninth to sixth this Monday., In 2020 he lost to Alexander Vukic in the first round of qualifying at Roland Garros. Last year he went to the round of 32 in the final draw, where he ran against Jan-Lenard Struff. He is far away, because the boy grew up at lightning speed. With all the arguments he handles in his definitive outburst, does anyone have any doubts that we are facing a serious candidate for the title in the edition that begins on May 22?