Alcaraz failed to snap a losing streak in his ATP Finals debut against Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz He debuted at the ATP Finals losing to the German Alexander Zverev. The rookie lost to the two-time champion of the event, in 2018 and 2021, 6-7 (3), 6-3 and 6-4 in 2h.31′.

Reaching the Masters Cup is a reward in itself, recognition for a season well done. The competition system, of the group stage, with the best two in each classification, keeps the Murcian alive at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, where he will return on Wednesday against the loser of the Russian derby between Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev.

That is the positive side, which the Murcian, 20 years old and No. 2, and his team how to appreciate. But they are also aware of the difficulties they face in the last stage of the campaign, which has become a trap for the tennis player, with clear symptoms of physical fatigue (the discomfort in the plantar fascia on the left foot does not help) and, above all, mentally.

It’s hard for him to smile because he’s not enjoying himself like he did when he reached the top by conquering Wimbledon. From US Open It comes in fits and starts. The numbers show it. It was his third straight loss on the circuit, after Grigor Dimitrov and Roman Safiullin, in Shanghai and Paris, respectively. Something that hasn’t happened since they joined the group of the best, they lost five of their last ten games. It didn’t match his 63-11 overall mark, which was 58-6 until the start of a year that choked him. He knows this, and mentions it as duties for 2024.

Irregular in his tennis, a roller coaster of sensations, ended up being a victim of the serve Alexander Zverev, which becomes more powerful and dangerous indoors and on a fast track. Not because of the 16 ‘aces’, which Alcaraz almost matched with his 11, but because of the power of a regular service that makes the rival difficult, putting him on the ropes by leaving him with no margin for an error on his own serve.

The German, 26 years old and No. 7, has established himself in his natural hometown, where he can do the most damage to an Alcaraz that he clearly questioned on the land of Madrid and on the hard court of this year’s US Open. With total balance, Zverev took advantage again at 4-3.

Alcaraz, without confidence in the first part of the course, competed in bursts. It was enough for him to overcome 1-3 in the opening set, in a beautiful game in which he combined a lob first, a drop shot later and a decisive parallel forehand the next. A celebration to regain ground and bring the partial to a tiebreak. And close it out for the fourth time, after his rival snatched three set options from him in the twelfth game with his ‘cannon shots’. Includes second serve aces.

That moment of tennis player euphoria El Palmar It is short. He had a break ball to take the lead in the second set. He did not specify it, and suddenly stopped. He made all kinds of mistakes again, and found himself down 0-3. Zverev’s morale increased, as did his effectiveness with his serve: he hit 77% of his first serves, winning 59 of 75 of them. On the other hand, 11 of 22 with the second serve.

Very calmly he moved Zverev the match in the third set, where he flew with his serve. He was a little scared when he slipped. He feared for his left ankle, after breaking his right at Roland Garros 2022, but that didn’t stop him from making it 4-2, proving his advantage. He kept it as the sixteenth ace stopped the Murcian’s last attempt, on a break point that would have given way a few seconds into the match point where the one from Hamburg sealed the victory.

For him is 200 ranking points and the jackpot of 552,750 dollars: 390,000 for the victory and 162,7650 for playing the match, the last amount that Alcaraz also received.