An exotic rival awaits Carlos Alcaraz in the second round of Roland Garros. After easily getting rid of the Italian Flavio Cobolli, coming from the previous one, the world number one will jump onto the track this Wednesday (around 4:00 p.m., Eurosport and Movistar +) against Taro Daniel (30 years old and 112 in the world). Daniel competes under the Japanese flag (his mother is from there), but he was born in New York and played tennis in Valencia. He lived in the El Campanar neighborhood between the ages of 14 and 21 and from there he traveled daily to Silla, to the Saladar Sports Club, to train with José Francisco Altur. From that stage he keeps a fluent Spanish and a taste for paella, but above all a tennis base highly influenced by the style of the Navy. “I am 30% Spanish”, Daniel usually says.
With his 1.91 meters he breaks with the prototypes of the average Japanese, he started in tennis thanks to his father, who had played at the University. He took his first steps as a professional playing Futures in Spain, where he regularly met Pablo Carreño or Roberto Carballés, and in 2014, at the age of 21, he achieved his first ATP victory in Viña del Mar. Two years later came his first victory in a Grand Slam, after overcoming the first round of Roland Garros against the Slovakian Martin Klizan. Since then, he has never made it past the second round at any of the big four.
In the ranking it reached its peak in August 2018 (64). That year he won the only title that appears in his record: the ATP 250 in Istanbul, on clay. His choice to play for Japan was determined by the ease of finding sponsors in a country where, beyond Kei Nishikori, there was a lack of stars. Thus, he was also able to play the Davis Cup and, above all, participate in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Games.
Among his most famous victories are those he achieved against Novak Djokovic, in Indian Wells 2018, and Andy Murray, at the 2022 Australian Open. He faced Rafa Nadal only once, at the 2017 US Open, with victory for him. Spanish in four sets (Daniel took the first).
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With Alcaraz it will also be his first duel in the ATP, although they did coincide in 2021 in a Challenger in Oeiras (Portugal). They were semifinals, and he won the Murcian 6-2, 5-7 and 6-2. This season, Daniel reached the third round in both Indian Wells and Miami. In California he defeated Matteo Berrettini and in Florida he defeated Alexander Zverev. After leaving Valencia he returned to the United States. He now he lives in Florida.
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