Tennis | Indian Wells
Alcaraz is preparing his appointment today in Indian Wells against Monfils with great concentration, after his brilliant victory against Bautista in “one of my best matches”
The name of Carlos Alcaraz (18 years old) begins to make a lot of noise. The ease with which he has resolved his first two matches at the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, against the American McDonald in the first round (6-3, 6-3) and against Bautista (6-2, 6-0), make his appointment today against the Frenchman Gael Monfils (35 years old) monopolizes the attention.
The party promises strong emotions. If the Murcian did not give his Davis Cup partner an option on Monday, “in one of my best games from start to finish”, as Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil said at the end of the match, the Frenchman blew up the bets after giving the bell by defeating the Russian Medvedev (4-6, 6-3 and 6-1), who fell from the first place in the ATP ranking, in favor of Novak Djokovic.
LAST FIVE MATCHES
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Carlos Alcaraz
-Fognini (6-2, 7/5), Rio Open semifinals. -
alcaraz
– Schwartzman (6-4, 6-2), Rio Open final. -
alcaraz
-Copil (6-4, 6-3), Davis Cup previous round. -
alcaraz
-MacDonald (6-3, 6-3), second round Indian Wells. -
alcaraz
-Bautista (6-2, 6-0), third round Indian Wells. -
Monfils
-Kecmanovic (7-6, 7-6 and 6-3), eighth Australian Open. -
Monfils
-Berrettini (4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and 2-6), Australia quarters. -
Monfils
-Ymer (1-6, 2-6), Open Sud de France round of 16. -
Monfils
-Krajinovic (6-3, 6-4), second round Indian Wells. -
Monfils
-Medvedev (4-6, 6-3, 6-1), third round Indian Wells.
Regarding his match against Bautista, Alcaraz said that «I have seen Roberto play for a long time, we have trained a lot and I know his level, his game. It’s not easy to play against a friend, against someone from the same country, but once you’re on the court, that’s forgotten. You go for the match. There are never friends on the track. You’re going for the win.”
“It will be tough and fun. There will be good points and Monfils is playing very well, “warns the Murcian
Triumphs against the best
However, it is not the first time that Carlos has performed at such a high level to beat rivals from the top of the world ranking. In his history he has four wins in nine games against a Top 10. «I think in the first set against Tsitsipas [en el US Open] I played very, very well,” said Alcaraz, who also referred to the match he played in the last Australian Open against Berrettini, “in which I played at a high level, although not during the entire match like against Bautista.”
Yesterday’s rest day did not alter the concentration of Carlos Alcaraz, who jumped onto the track in the morning to make a soft rally. The only hustle he faced, which is not unpleasant for him, is that of his increasing popularity. As he himself said, «I am growing, little by little, and people are recognizing me more. It’s something I really like.” Alcaraz, who is signing more and more autographs, is clear about the reason why people recognize him in the United States: “It’s because of my performance at the US Open.”
“It will be a very difficult game. right now he [Alcaraz] he is full of confidence”, says the French tennis player
The player from El Palmar is staying at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa hotel, located in the Coachella Valley, in the heart of the California desert. Two steps away he has a golf course, where he practices in the afternoons to reduce tension.
On his way to the round of 16 in Indian Wells he has not dropped a single set. To reach his first ATP Maters 1000 quarter-final he will have to overcome France’s Monfils today. “Gael is playing very, very well. He is a very tough player. He is fast, he runs a lot. He has great shots too », warned the Murcian, who predicts that today’s game« is going to be tough and fun. He will be good points. It will be a great game»
Monfils, who is almost twice the age of Carlos Alcaraz, and who will face him today for the first time on the ATP circuit, also believes that today he is going to see a good game, and very complicated for his interests: «It is going to be a game very difficult. Right now he is full of confidence, he is young, he hits the lines. I will have to play my tennis and find solutions for his game. I’ve never faced him, so it’s going to be very curious. I have seen that on Monday he won very comfortably [a Bautista], but I couldn’t watch the match. It means that it is ready to go with everything. I hope to give him a lot of work, “said the Frenchman.
Spoon kicks
At 35 years old, the French player was able to shoot several spoon serves on Monday in the match against Medvedev, rarely seen on the circuit. His start to the year on hard court is not being bad at all, as he managed to win one of the Adelaide tournaments. In the Australian Open he reached the quarterfinals, where he was dropped by Berrettini, and after not being able to measure up in Montpellier, he has arrived in Indian Wells with enthusiasm and with a way of playing, facing the gallery, with the that has put the public in the pocket. Alcaraz will have to be careful with a player who is not a normal tennis player at all. Monfils will try at all times to throw the young tennis player from El Palmar off center to try to solve a match in which he is not the favourite.
But if Monfils comes in high spirits after completing one of those great sprints that recall his best level, Alcaraz continues his winning streak, which began in mid-February in Rio de Janeiro, on February 20.
In another of Monday’s outstanding duels, Reilly Opelka knocked out Denis Shapovalov (6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4) and will today be Rafa Nadal’s opponent in the round of 16. The Mallorcan got rid of Daniel Evans and added his 17th consecutive victory so far in 2022 to advance to the round.
faster tracks
The organizers of the Indian Wells tournament wanted to considerably increase the speed of the tracks compared to previous years. If in 2017 and 2018 they had the lowest speed of all the hard court Masters 1000 (around 28 CPI points, slow court category), in 2022 they have raised it to almost 40 points, 20% more than to the 2021 edition.
It should be mentioned that, as the days go by, the track becomes faster due to the wear of the paint, going from 37.9 CPI points last Friday to 39 this past Monday. By the end of the tournament, he will probably exceed 40 points, thus entering the medium-high category in terms of his speed, 40% more than four years ago. Alcaraz is not uncomfortable, far from it. He is not a typical Spanish player, since he moves just as well on cement as on clay.
The American Brooksby or the British Norrie, in the quarterfinals
Carlos Alcaraz would face Jenson Brooksby or Cameron Norrie in the quarterfinals if the Murcian beats Monfils today. The American (43 in the ATP) gave the surprise by defeating the Greek Tsitsipas, fifth best player in the world, in three sets (1-6, 6-3 and 6-2) last morning. Brooksby, the local hope, came from a set down to record a surprising victory. The British (12 in the ATP) had a curious duel against Nikoloz Basilashvili, whom he won again just a year later (3-6, 6-3, 6-1), although this time the faces were not seen in the Grand finale. Norrie criticized the organization considering that he disrespected him by making him play on court 5, being the defending champion.
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