To represent one’s country at the Olympics is an incredible honour for any athlete, and this July of 2024 Alcaraz finally had the opportunity to put on Spain’s colours. Today’s post is a recap of his first 3 matches played in the span of just 3 days. A gruelling schedule that started on Saturday with 2 matches on one day followed by the round 2 match on Monday.
Saturday afternoon saw Alcaraz match up against Lebanon’s Habib, a match that Alcaraz concluded swiftly and with ease. Was it his best tennis? We saw some incredible shots, but it wasn’t his best or most intense and it didn’t need to be. Following his journey over many tournaments now, it’s become obvious that Alcaraz will expend enough energy and power to win, but will not use his full capacity. That he leaves for later matches against seeded opponents. This is a very smart and efficient way to power through tournaments as he is able to go one or two gears up within the same match when needed. The only downside is that he sometimes gets “surprised” by an opponent — a big serve, big forehands, etc — and the gear gets locked in place. This is why he sometimes loses to opponents who are way lower ranked than he is, players who he would easily defeat on any given day. Luckily, that was not the case on Saturday or on Monday when he was able to power up on the points that mattered and so on he goes to the 3rd round in men’s singles.
Saturday’s matches offer a revealing case study in the impact of nerves and experience on a player’s game. The Alcaraz who played the singles match was not there at the doubles match alongside Rafael Nadal. Not for the first few games anyways. What did we see?
Alcaraz was the first to serve and was immediately broken. On his second service game he still appeared nervous, and so so young. One sometimes forget how young he still is. We can tell that he’s nervous when the first serve goes in the net or out, or when the forehand misfires. This match was so interesting to watch because we saw Carlos right next to Rafa who kept the games under control, and who felt more confident and at ease. Nadal was superb at the net, such fast reaction times, it was such a joy to watch them together.
Towards the end of the first set, Alcaraz was back in Alcaraz mode. Powerful ground strokes, precision strikes, amazing volleys, it was the Carlos we love to watch. By the time we got to the tie break, Alcaraz offered a spectacular display of serve + drive volley + smash that reminded everyone of why this is the most hyped player in tennis today, and for good reason.
That first doubles match we watched Alcaraz learn how to play doubles in real time and get comfy playing alongside his idol. Who would not have nerves in these instances?? Will this be a repeat of Queen’s tournament of 2023 when we watched him learn how to play on grass and then go on to win it all? Early days yet and the next double match is about to start as these words are being typed. At this point, it all depends on how well rested the players are. The schedule is gruelling and Nadal was visibly tired in his matches on Sunday and Monday and Alcaraz needed a medical timeout during Monday’s match. He had appeared uneasy most of the match, and hopefully is better recovered by today.
In terms of the actual tennis being played, the doubles match alongside Nadal was the most striking if only because of the hegemonic profiles of the two players, both of whom are so well suited to play on clay. Nadal was playing on the same court that saw him crowned 14 times champion at Roland Garros, and Alcaraz won his first clay grand slam there just a few weeks ago. It is a match that many had been waiting for and we were not disappointed. They looked so comfortable with one another, so much in sync, and just so happy being on court. The past, present, and future of tennis on clay, it could not get more iconic than this.
Of particular note was their returning positions which were sometimes quite far out wide with Carlos on the left plank, thereby creating a middle zone that is defended by the right handed forehand of Carlos Alcaraz and the left-handed forehand of one Rafael Nadal. A fearsome combination of grounds strokes, this was the thou-shalt-not-pass of tennis. A valley of death where hopes of medals go to die. Really, this match was spectacular.
In terms of optics, seeing both these players in identical Spanish gear was great, symbolising the long running legacy of Spanish prowess in this sport. The warm up while waiting for the toss and the run towards the baseline, this could not have looked better even if one were to script it. It was sweet, one has to admit, that Nadal let Alcaraz be the only one to do the high jump while waiting at the net. It felt like he was passing on the torch, one legend to another.
