Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. Today, I’m super excited to dive into a fascinating story about one of the biggest stars in tennis right now—Carlos Alcaraz.
Carlos Alcaraz, the world no. 3 and four-time Major winner, is gearing up for the ATP Finals in Turin. This event is a big deal, especially since he debuted there last year and made it to the semi-finals before falling to Novak Djokovic. But what’s got everyone talking is his recent performance at the Paris Masters.
Alcaraz’s Paris Masters Struggle
Carlos could not achieve a deep run in Paris last week. He beat Nicolas Jarry before falling to Ugo Humbert in the third round. The super-fast surface in Bercy really surprised him, and he tried his best but failed to reach the quarter-final after suffering a late break against the home star. Humbert played inspired tennis in front of the home fans and delivered his career-best victory after prevailing 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. Alcaraz made a terrible start before responding in the second set, serving well until the closing stages of the encounter. However, Ugo made no errors in his games, providing a late break and moving over the top. The Frenchman claimed seven points more than his rival thanks to the opening set. He defended his second serve nicely and faced four break points in the second set, losing serve once and keeping the pressure on the other side. Carlos lost serve two times in the opening set and suffered a crucial break at 5-6 in the decider, failing to reach a tie break and extend his chances.
Alcaraz’s 2023 ATP Finals Debut
Carlos missed his ATP Finals debut due to an injury in 2022. The Spaniard traveled to Turin last year and passed the round-robin stage after an early setback, reaching the semi-final before falling to Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz played his first ATP Finals match against Alexander Zverev and suffered a 6-7, 6-3, 6-4 defeat in two and a half hours. The young gun prevailed in the opener before losing ground, suffering three breaks and jeopardizing his semi-final chances. However, Carlos bounced back and defeated Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev in straight sets, passing the group stage and setting the semi-final clash against world no. 1 Novak Djokovic. The veteran ousted the young gun 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 28 minutes, booking a place in the title clash.
Preparing for the ATP Finals
To avoid his mistake from Paris, Carlos is installing an exact hard court at the Juan Carlos Ferrero Tennis Academy in Alicante and practicing on it. This preparation is crucial as he aims to be ready for any surface at the ATP Finals.
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Yours truly,
Mia
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