Alcaraz and the search for happiness on clay courts
Spanish arrives at the clay court tour, a place where he has achieved many of his great successes, with doubts in his game and the need to raise his level to defend his reign in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz is running out of lifelines as the season progresses. Following his quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open at the hands of Novak Djokovic, coupled with his inconsistent month of February, where he claimed the title in Rotterdam and struggled in the Middle East, a 'Sunshine Double' ensued, raising alarms after his loss in the Indian Wells semifinals against Jack Draper and his early defeat in the Miami Open against David Goffin. Now, the clay court season arrives, and the El Palmar native has no choice but to turn the situation around if he wants to prevent criticism and doubts from escalating.
The Murcian wanted to reset and move on from what happened in the United States. In fact, after his second-round loss in Miami, he took a few days off for vacation and relaxation in Florida before traveling to Mexico. After this break, he returned to training in Murcia before heading to Monte Carlo.
With little experience in Monaco
It will be in the principality of Monaco where an arduous clay court swing begins for the current world number three. In the first major clay-court tournament, Alcaraz has only one participation in 2022, which was not very successful. Shortly after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Miami, Carlitos suffered from high expectations, a surface change, and limited rest, leading to his early exit against Sebastian Korda (7-6(2), 6-7(5), 6-3). Nevertheless, that defeat marked the start of his breakthroughs in Barcelona and Madrid.
In 2023, he withdrew citing fatigue after winning in Indian Wells and reaching the Miami Open semifinals, later clinching success in the Conde de Godo and Madrid. However, last year in Monte Carlo marked the beginning of his 2024 nightmare: the right forearm injury. A day before his debut, Alcaraz had to withdraw from the tournament due to discomfort, hoping it would be temporary so he could travel to Barcelona to compete for his third consecutive Godo title. However, a couple of days before heading to Barcelona, the pain persisted, forcing him to withdraw.
"It was a month and a half of uncertainty during which I missed a lot," he stated in an interview at the end of last year. Despite the persistent pain, albeit less intense, he decided to play in Madrid. There, he was defeated by Andrey Rublev in the round of 16 (4-6, 6-3, 6-2), and the discomfort evolved into an injury, leading to his absence in Rome. Following this ordeal, he achieved his greatest feat on clay, winning Roland Garros after a turbulent and inconsistent clay season.
Two and a half months of high demands and necessity
Before focusing on his Paris title defense, Alcaraz has assignments in the four tournaments preceding Roland Garros. In Monte Carlo, he needs to gradually rediscover his form and assess if his tennis is more suited to clay than to hard courts. Next on his agenda will be pursuing the title in Barcelona, potentially his third in five participations. From there, he will move on to the Spanish capital to face stronger opponents than those in the Godo. Lastly, Rome, where as in Monte Carlo, he only participated once in 2023, exiting in the third round against Fabian Marozsan (6-3, 7-6(4)).
Following Rome, a new challenge arises: Jannik Sinner. The world number one completes his doping suspension on the fourth of May, the day of the Madrid final, and will be eligible to compete in his home tournament. The state of his readiness is uncertain, but his presence at Roland Garros cannot be ruled out.
Thus, Carlos Alcaraz embarks on the clay court swing under these circumstances, aiming to reverse his doubts and negative trend in tournaments that hold special significance for him (Barcelona and Madrid), while striving for a strong performance in territories that haven't been favorable to him so far (Monte Carlo, Rome). All with the goal of arriving in optimal condition to contend for his second title at Roland Garros and turn around an irregular start to the year. The outcomes are still uncertain, but he places his trust in the clay court.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz y la búsqueda de la felicidad en la tierra batida