Alcaraz, The Incredible

Congratulations to Carlos Alcaraz for winning his first French Open. When Federer left, I never thought there would be another quite like him. But when I watch the kid fly around the court, I see pure joy. And a hint of Roger’s creativity. However, the final at Roland Garros had none of this. It was a five-set grinder. His opponent, Zverev, dropped first serves at 137 MPH, averaging almost 130 MPH over the course of the match. What’s even more amazing is that his first serve landed almost 73%. This is insane. If a time traveler told me this in advance, I’d take the bet.

Yet, he was broken nine times.

If you think about it, this is an outlier—one that can only happen at this tournament. Some of this oddness follows Alcaraz. His opponents have to come up with ways to win. I mean, how do you best someone who can chase down any ball, hits for power on both sides, and possesses unlimited shot selection? Well, Medvedev completed the task in the US Open Semis.

How did he do it?

He played as far as he could behind the baseline. If he could have returned from economy parking, I’m sure he would have tried. What’s amazing about this style of play are the angles that can be produced. And Medvedev gives himself more time; by starting far behind the baseline, he all but guarantees that he will move forward as the point develops.¹ Momentum wins championships.

The challenge is the player has to have uncanny speed and be in incredible shape. It worked here. But Medvedev faltered in the final, perhaps drained from the match. One has to deliver the goods when playing the Spaniard. I’m glad variety has returned to the game; the sport is again fun to watch.

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