The last few months have not been easy for Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard, between the end of last season and the beginning of the new one, has been plagued by several injuries, which have caused him to miss some important events, as well as losing the first position in the ATP ranking.
First the abdominal tear during the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy, which forced him to postpone his first participation in the ATP Finals in Turin, and then the most painful resignation, that of the Australian Open, due to a leg injury.
, which occurred during a training session. The now former number one is desperate to recover everything that bad luck has taken from him and will begin his season on clay in Buenos Aires, scheduled for mid-February. His compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, in an interview with Marca, commented on the amazing journey that took the tennis player from El Palmar from being a baby prodigy to the top of the world rankings: “The whole world was surprised at what Carlos did in 2022.
It was something stratospheric. He won a Grand Slam, he was number one and he won many other tournaments. For many it’s a long way to go,” said the world number 30 with admiration. The 24-year-old then addressed his moment of form, less stellar than expected, which has seen him retire several times earlier than expected: “There are always qualifying and title goals.
But my priority is to be more solid on the circuit and not have those ups and downs. Have more good weeks than bad. I still think I started the year better than anyone. Both physically and from a tennis point of view, I arrived quite prepared.” Here’s a reflection on the Next Gen, and the impact they’re having on the circuit: “By now I’m past that stage.
I was at the ‘Next Gen’ in Milan for a year, I should have gone again, but it was not because of covid.”
Alcaraz is about to return
The Tennis TV teams had the good idea to ask some players about their favorite shot. Carlos Alcaraz, extremely good at distilling drop shots, therefore mentioned this weapon which he uses quite often.
Except that against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, it’s often another story. “Faced with Rafa Nadal, it must be recognized that it is very difficult to win a point on a drop shot, whether against him or against Novak Djokovic for that matter.
I think they know very well when I’m going to hit a drop shot. They see the shot even before I realize it. And of course they run forward, you know, they always hit the ball. They are very good at that. Then they hit a counter-bump, and they win the point.”
