Grass may be the “Best Place” for Alcaraz

Written by Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Wednesday July 10, 2024
Photo credit: Rob Newall/CameraSport

Wimbledon–Carlos Alcaraz he is the master of all places.

The grass at Wimbledon could prove to be the perfect Slam venue for Alcaraz’s all-court attack, the Queen’s Club champion said. Tommy Paul.

More: Alcaraz Defeats Paul, Stops Wimbledon Rematch vs. Medvedev

After Alcaraz’s 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 Wimbledon quarterfinal victory over the 12th-ranked American, No. 1 Court, Paul pointed out three reasons why Alcaraz can be more productive in grass.

Full-court coverage, defensive balance when running even on slippery court corners and his sensational strike ability can boost crowd support and the Spaniard’s confidence, all of which keep defending champion Alcaraz from the chasing pack, Paul said.

“He moves so unbelievably. “He’s probably the fastest player,” Paul said of Alcaraz. “It is very difficult to get the ball around him. Grass suits him.

“He moves amazingly on the grass. It is not easy to change the way he acts. He stays very low. I mean it’s not easy.”

Alcaraz snapped Paul’s nine-match winning streak on grass court, scoring his 12th consecutive win of SW19 to set up a semifinal rematch at Wimbledon no. Daniel Medvedev. Alcaraz dismissed Medvedev, surrendering just nine games in the 2023 semifinal before eliminating the defending champion. Novak Djokovic in a historic final.

Third-seeded Alcaraz is 22-3 on grass, including a 16-2 Wimbledon record.

One of those two losses was to Medvedev—6-4, 6-1, 6-2 in Alcaraz’s 2021 Wimbledon debut—the other to Jannik Sinner next year.

Paul, who has two career wins over Alcaraz, says the Spaniard is a top performer: When Alcaraz gets the crowd fired up with a bold winner it fuels his surge.

“When he starts building strength and developing momentum, I don’t know, it feels a little different than a lot of other guys,” Paul said of Alcaraz. “He can play amazing tennis.

“Half the job is when you’re out there you don’t let him win one of those crazy points because if he does, he just goes up.”

The 21-year-old Alcaraz is a master of all areas because he adapts his game to the demands of each area. He has great net skills, uses one of the trickiest shots in the Open Era and can fire his forehand into a “laser” effect as Paul said.

One of the biggest challenges of winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back to back is adjusting to a completely different environment—the court environment.

The adaptation from Philippe Chatrier’s Court in Paris, one of the largest Grand Slam stages in the game, to the much smaller and more intimate Center Court can limit the area of ​​use and reduce the impact of defenses and counter-strikes, compared to clay.

Wimbledon’s green grass produces a faster and lower ball bounce than the crushed red brick of Roland Garros, making it difficult to time the ball.

Versatility is Alcaraz’s asset on grass because he uses his ability to take the ball earlier than opponents, is good at rebounding his shots and is comfortable covering the net.

In addition, the running Alcaraz brings a lot back into play, pressuring the safety zone of his opponents. Alcaraz leads Wimbledon with 30 breaks of serve in the tournament.

The youngest man to win Grand Slam titles at all three majors, Alcaraz, who lost to Medvedev in four sets in the semifinals of the 2023 US Open, said he welcomes his return to Center Court in the semifinals because he is more comfortable on Center and believes. it suits his style of play.

“I felt the difference playing on Center Court and Court 1. The grass is different,” said Alcaraz. “Obviously I think there was more sand on Court 1 than Center Court. I don’t want to say holes.

“There were more games on Court 1 than Center Court. I had to change my game for that. I didn’t feel comfortable at all playing on Court 1 with the conditions on it. Like I said, I had to change my game on it. I tried to play my best tennis in it.

“Yeah, I think I finally found it, I found my best tennis and my best tennis just to feel comfortable with it. It was hard to find.”