The epic Sunday of Carlos Alcaraz, crowned in Barcelona and successor to Rafael Nadal on the charts

The match point that changes everything

However, we believed that the kid was going to become human again. Undermined by a still catchy De Minaur, the young Carlos seemed less dominant than usual. If his serve allowed him to stay in the game for a long time, we weren’t giving much of his skin when the Australian got two match points at 7-6, 6-5. It was completely off center on a good first from his opponent that Alcaraz returned.

The following ? It’s a passing that came from nowhere, an inspiration that can’t be learned and… a lot of luck. “On the first match point, I do a passing shot that I still can’t believe, almost with my eyes closedhe laughed afterwards. But I fought until the end and I believed in my ability to come back“This refusal of defeat, even in the most desperate situations, reminds you of someone, doesn’t it?

If he didn’t admit it, he still had some reserve. His half ended at 2:30 p.m. and dust, the Spaniard had only three hours to prepare for his final against a much less bothered Pablo Carreno Busta in the semi-final (6-3, 6-4 against Diego Schwartzman). Faced with an unprecedented situation, many would have lost their footing. He stayed true to his routine.

4/4 in the final

“After the game, I rode my bike fifteen minutes, drank my smoothie, ate a little and took a thirty-minute nap to be as awake as possible for the final.“, he revealed after his coronation this Sunday. It was almost fresh as a roach, aggressive and bleeding that he started this final. The fruit of a strategy thought out upstream.

“I wanted to show from the start that I was not tiredhe confessed. I played a great semi-final of almost four hours, I had less recovery time but I took it as an advantage. I came to the court with very clear ideas to do what I had to do. I was aggressive until the end“. Aggressive and impregnable. On the whole of this one-sided final, he will have lost only seven points on his service. Under these conditions, it is difficult to believe in the exploit for PCB. “It was frankly complicated to play against him today“, has also recognized his friend.

This ability to raise his level of play when circumstances require it is one of the most impressive weapons in this kid. In four finals played on the circuit, he won four. All without ever leaving the slightest set on the way, offering Richard Gasquet, Diego Schwartzman, Casper Ruud and Carreno-Busta during these posters, far from being rookies in this area.

The Nadal mirror, again and again

“The winning gene comes from my familyhe replied with a smile when explaining this incredible ratio. My father, my grandfather, my team kept telling me that the finals are not played, they are won“. The message is transmitted. By succeeding Rafael Nadal in Barcelona, ​​Alcaraz continues to maintain this almost disturbing mirror with his idol.

From idol to rival, there is only one step that Alcaraz is taking. After his almost surprising exit from the road in Monte-Carlo, here he is with the wind at his back as Madrid, Rome and then Roland-Garros appear on the calendar. And, to listen to him, he has no intention of stopping on such a good path: “I don’t want to reach any ceiling, I want to continue playing at this level and if I reproduce this level of tennis, I have options to win matches, win tournaments, beat the best“.