the explosion of Carlos Alcaraz has ushered tennis into a new era, also thanks to the painful retirements of Roger Federer and Serena Williams. The 19-year-old Spaniard wowed everyone last year, winning the US Open and becoming the youngest No. 1 in men’s tennis history.
As if that were not enough, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil won two Masters 1000 (Miami and Madrid) and as many ATP 500 (Rio and Barcelona). Many believe that the Murcian will become a world icon, thanks to his innate charisma and his spectacular style of play.
The last few months have not been easy for ‘Carlitos’, who has had to deal with several injuries. A leg injury sustained in training forced him to miss the Australian Open, which also caused him to lose the top position in the ATP rankings.
To unseat him from the throne after 20 weeks of reign was Novak Djokovic, capable of winning ‘Down Under’ for the tenth time. The Serbian only lost one set in the entire tournament. Top seed Alcaraz will face Dusan Lajovic in the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open on Friday.
Mark Petchey reflects on Alcaraz
Opinions are divided on Carlos Alcaraz and some specialists consider that the game offered by the Spaniard is unique. Composed of speed, power and endurance, Carlos embodies, according to them, total tennis that we have never seen on the modern circuit.
This is what, for example, Mark Petchey thinks. «I don’t think @carlosalcaraz will be a 20-time Major champion as this number has been ‘normalized’. He may not win 10. However, like Bjorn Borg, I think he will be one of the most influential tennis players.» the game has ever had with the way he plays.» Carlos Alcaraz was surprised to witness a large crowd in his first match at the Argentina Open.
«I didn’t expect such a big crowd, such a great atmosphere behind me. So I can only thank all the fans here in Buenos Aires for the warm welcome I received in this first match and I look forward to moving forward.» this energy,» he said after the game.
“It’s a great feeling to win again. It has been a long time for me without competition, without games, just recovering. I finally got my first win of 2023,” said the 19-year-old. «I missed this SO MUCH! What a night and what energy you gave me! Dale @argentinaopentennis,» Alcaraz wrote in his Instagram post.
