Alcaraz Alarm! He needed medical help to close out the game

Carlos Alcaraz He is in the third round of the Olympic tennis tournament and he made it harder than necessary against Tallo Griekspoor, who needed medical help to finish the second set and sentence the match 6-1, 7-6(3) .

The first round was perfect by Carlos Alcaraz. He played calmly, dominantly and focused to control the game. Griekspoor was overcome by the force of a 21-year-old boy with boundless courage reminiscent of what the ‘Big 3’ had when they started winning their first tournaments. His charisma at Philippe Chatrier still did not match that of Rafa Nadal, king of Paris, but the crowd in attendance that filled the 15,000 available seats showed their unconditional support for the Spaniard.

The Murcian already has four Grand Slam titles in his possession, two from Wimbledon (2023 and 2024), one from Roland Garros (2024) and one US Open (2022). Alcaraz is seeking to become only the second player capable of winning the Roland Garros title and Olympic gold in the same year, a feat only accomplished by Rafa Nadal in 2008. Furthermore, if Alcaraz wins gold, he will become the youngest world tennis player. history in achieving this.

In the second set, the Dutch raised the level even more. He played more uninhibited tennis, with nothing to lose and an eagerness to play on the center court that is unusual for him, number 28 in the world and with two titles on his record in 2023, ‘s-Hertogenbosch on grass and Pune on the fast that track. At 5-4 down, Alcaraz went to the locker room to receive medical attention on his thigh and returned with a Nadal style advantage. Alcaraz saved a set point against him. And he ended the painful game with two straight serves. At 6-6, Alcaraz was unforgiving in the tie-break and closed out the match despite physical discomfort. His next opponent is Roman Safiulin and his next match is this Tuesday’s doubles with Rafa Nadal in the third round of Suzanne-lenglen (around 4 pm).