It happened and many of us are not even surprised. Alcaraz beats Rafa and Novak in the Madrid Masters. That’s a feat done by very few players in history.
Alcaraz beats Rafa and Novak and now faces Zverev in the Madrid final. Is it a sure win? No. Alcaraz has made a lot of tennis fans reignite their excitement about the sport, but that doesn’t mean that he will win every match and tournament. Still, I would pick him as the favorite against Zverev. The latest odds I saw from the bookies was 1.59 for Alcaraz to win and 2.68 for Zverev. This means that Alcaraz is already becoming a favorite in these tough match-ups.
Are we hyping him too much?
The media needs to sell clicks, so creating a hype around anything or anyone is important. But as someone who has followed tennis closely for many years, you rarely see a talent and potential as big as Alcaraz’. It reminds me of the 3 GOATs, and although it’s too soon to tell and speculate (after all, Raducanu has more grand slam trophies than him for now), his trajectory is eerily similar to the big three.
It’s also difficult to find large areas of improvement in his game. Maybe the serve can be a tad better, but what else can he improve? Both the forehand and the backhand blast winners. The dropshot is probably the best in the business. Volleys are solid. Movement is great. Mental strength is amazing for an 18-year-old. He seems mature and with a good balance of confidence and self-awareness. It’s hard not to see him win multiple grand slams. How many? Time will tell.
Keen to hear your thoughts about Alcaraz. Has he made you more excited about tennis? Wasn’t it time for the new generation to produce a player like this?
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Alcaraz wins Miami Masters