Carlos Alcaraz He suffers from a cold that makes him somewhat weak physically, which is why he played his match against Rublev at the Nitto ATP Finals (won 6-3 and 7-6 (10/8)) with the classic plaster on the nose to be able to breathe better. But the main problem he had in his debut against Ruud, in which the Norwegian clearly surpassed him, was mental rather than physical. The head is in charge and the Murcian assures that he is a little saturated already this season. It is worth the last effort that he seems to want to give.
Because the The attitude that Carlos showed in his second match in the Masters Tournament was differentwith the intention of overcoming adversity instead of being dragged down by it. The scream he let out when he broke the first set was significant. Also his gestural language throughout the match, the “yes, yes” that he said to his bench after committing a double fault in the tiebreaker of the second set, the way he cheered himself up, the smile with a punch even if he lost it… It was more him, convinced in his head, which leads to his tennis also improving. The desire was also seen in some defenses that led their rival to desperation. Then you can win or lose, but you have to fight with what you have. It has been a job that his team has done with him these days, including his family, his father who is there in Turin or his mother who has stayed at home: with the cold you can no longer do more than take some pill to relieve it , the band-aid and take care of yourself, and it is evident that you are affected as indicated by your disturbed voice, what you have to try is to do the best possible in those circumstances.
After that first one, closed with a second break and crowned with a “let’s go”, Alcaraz knew how to weather the storm in the second. And Rublev too. The Russian tends towards chaos and self-destruction to the minimum, but this time, even though he was behind because he always had to serve at a disadvantage, he did not allow himself to be possessed by his demons. His end of the second set was incredible: four blank service games, sixteen consecutive points.
Thus, a spectacular tiebreaker was reached, in which the point of the match was seen with several brilliant defenses by Carlos. Afterwards, the Spaniard committed the double fault, to remain 5-4 up, but without a minibreak, and it did not affect him. He had to save two set points (at 5-6 and 7-8), with a blow to the line just barely, and on the third he managed to close the duel with an almost direct return, from the forehand: Rublev arrived, but could not put the ball to the other side.
Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil moved well and was successful in his favorite shots. If not a single fantasy shot came out against Ruud, this time he showed three or four incredible drop shots, some fantastic volleys, he achieved up to ten direct aces…
The Spanish is still alive. He will play on Friday against Zverev, although it is not yet known what it will take for him to qualify. We have to wait to see what happens with the German in tonight’s match, in which he faces Ruud.