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 some fascinating news from the world of tennis, especially with the Rolex Paris Masters happening right now. The Rolex Paris Masters is the ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, held at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France. This event is always a highlight for tennis fans worldwide, and this year’s edition promises to be just as thrilling.
One of the top favorites for the victory at the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 is Carlos Alcaraz, the current world number 2. Despite being a four-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz has never excelled in this tournament. He admitted that he struggles with indoor conditions and tends to tire more easily by the end of the season, which affects his performance on the court.
However, Alcaraz did manage to get through his first match against Nicolas Jarry, although it was not without its challenges. The match was conditioned by many unforced errors from both players, but a crucial drop by Jarry in the deciding moment allowed Alcaraz to win the set 7-5. The second set was smoother in favor of Alcaraz, but he still gave many chances to his opponent.
The Paris-Bercy courts have been accelerated this year, rumored to be the fastest in the last decade. This has been a point of contention among players, with some finding it challenging for spectators to see long rallies due to the speed of the ball. Alcaraz expressed his concerns about needing time to get used to these fast courts and acknowledged that it’s been two years since he won a match here in Paris-Bercy.
Alcaraz will face the winner of the match between local idol Ugo Humbert and American ace Marcos Giron next. Despite some downturns during the season, Alcaraz can be very satisfied with his 2024 performance. He has won two Grand Slam titles, became the youngest player ever to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year, won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 for the second year in a row, and even won a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
However, his defeat against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Olympic tournament remains one of his greatest regrets. This loss seemed to affect him in subsequent tournaments like Cincinnati and the US Open. Alcaraz also participated in the ATP 500 in Beijing, where he played a great match against Jannik Sinner in the final.
After being eliminated by Tomas Machac in Shanghai, Alcaraz flew to Saudi Arabia to play in the first edition of ‘The Six Kings Slam’. He defeated Holger Rune in the quarterfinals and Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals before losing to Sinner in a beautiful final. Many fans and insiders have criticized this exhibition for its excessive prize money reserved for participants.
In a recent interview, Alcaraz admitted that he went to Saudi Arabia primarily for economic reasons: “Well, I mean, if I say I went there just for fun or to play and forget the money, I’m gonna lie. That’s obviously. I mean, every person works for that, as well. You know, that’s how life is about. You know, I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I don’t think about the money. I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and that’s it.”
After the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, Carlos will play at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
If you want, you can check out the news where I found it here.
Yours truly,
Mia
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