Botic surrenders to Alcaraz: "He probably has the best forehand on the circuit"

Carlos Navarro | 5 Feb 2025 | 13.54

Botic greets Alcaraz after the defeat in Rotterdam. Source: Getty

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Facing Botic van de Zandschulp on the same side of the draw as Carlos Alcaraz has started to make the fans of the Murcian sweat cold in recent months. The open wound from the past US Open elimination was partially closed yesterday when Carlitos took his personal revenge in the first round of the ATP Rotterdam 2025. It was not a brilliant match; in fact, it somewhat reinforced the belief that the Dutchman puts the Spanish player in serious difficulties, stealing a set and plunging him into a state of uncertainty for much of the match.

Botic's great performance in his first home match contrasted with his poor image at the beginning of 2025, where he did not achieve a single victory in the Australian tour. He arrived in Rotterdam with a 0-3 record, demonstrating the inconsistency that distances him from the leading positions on the circuit, and his defeat against Carlos seems to be, nevertheless, a step in the right direction. How does this new 'Spanish bogeyman' (who also defeated Nadal in his last professional match) evaluate it? This is how he expressed it to Ubitennis:

"I still have a zero wins balance this year, the truth is that at the moment I don't have much confidence, but I'm playing well and hope to continue doing so for the rest of the season", stated Botic, as composed in front of the cameras as in his on-court attitude. What were the key points of a match that he had so close, after having a set point in the first set? "Alcaraz served very well, denying me the break points I had. I had a break point at the beginning of the third set but couldn't capitalize on it. Then he broke me, taking the lead to make it 2-0, playing some incredible points. In the first set, I had opportunities; he broke me when I served to win it. I should have won the set, but despite that, I played very well in the second set. Carlos is ranked third in the world, he has won many tournaments, four Grand Slams... it's never easy to close a set against someone like him."

"CARLOS HAS, PROBABLY, THE BEST FOREHAND ON THE CIRCUIT"

Despite defeating him in the US Open, despite his game relatively fitting the style of the Murcian, Botic doesn't hide his preference for Carlos' tennis, lavishing praise and emphasizing the potential of his forehand. "I believe Alcaraz probably has the best forehand on the circuit. I don't think I need to reproach myself if I lose cross-court forehand exchanges to him. He was smart to win those", stated van de Zandschulp, concluding his remarks without being able to give a clear answer as to why his tennis causes so much trouble for the Murcian. "You should ask him, in fact, because he can surely answer that question better than I can. I handle exchanges very well, maybe that bothers him a little, but I'm not sure".

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Botic se rinde a Alcaraz: "Es probable que tenga la mejor derecha del circuito"