Carlos Alcaraz: A Roller Coaster Year, Rafa’s Idol, and Riyadh Revelations
By Your Friendly Tennis Commentator
The Tricky Court Conditions
Well, well, well! It seems like not even gravity can keep a good tennis player down. Carlos Alcaraz has taken to the courts like a duck to water, even if those pesky conditions are throwing tennis balls around like they’re having a disco party. He describes the court as “tricky”—and let’s be honest, when a tennis player calls something tricky, it usually means “I’ve just hit my second serve into the drink, and I’m not talking about Gatorade!”
But credit to Alcaraz, he’s rolling with the punches, adapting faster than a cat on a hot tin roof. He’s here to make life miserable for his opponents, enjoying every bounce and every bat of the ball. You can practically hear him saying, “Bring it on!” He’s out here playing chess while some players are still figuring out how to play checkers.
A Year of Highs and Lows
He refers to his season as a “roller coaster,” and isn’t that a euphemism for what we’ve all experienced? Just when you think you’re about to win big, you find yourself screaming as you plummet down that final drop! But don’t you worry; Alcaraz has had the thrill of victory in some tournaments and the agony of “what on earth was I thinking?” in others. It’s nice to know that even the titans of tennis have off days like the rest of us—like when you attempt to impress people with your famous spaghetti carbonara and accidentally burn it to a crisp!
But Carlos embraces it all—the lessons learned, the fun memories, and the thrill of the fight throughout the year. “It’s great to fight all year round,” he says, and let’s be real, if we all had a fraction of that determination, the world would be a much more competitive place—for instance, in a bake-off against your overly competitive neighbor!
Rafa: The Idol and Legend
And now, onto the big man, the legend, Rafa Nadal! Alcaraz looks back with admiration, sharing how Rafa has been his idol since he picked up a racket. It’s heartwarming, in a way, isn’t it? Of course, it’s also a bit scary—it’s like realizing your favourite superhero is a bit frail in real life. Alcaraz reflects on the bittersweet reality of Rafa’s retirement, acknowledging that it feels like losing a family member, or worse, the last slice of pizza when you’ve already had one too many.
However, rising from these emotional depths, Carlos jumps at the chance to share a court with his idol one last time—something like playing Monopoly with your childhood hero, minus the shady deals and unfair “do not pass go” cards. And if you think about it, that’s a mix of privilege and pressure! Can you imagine? The poor guy will probably be thinking, “Don’t embarrass yourself, Carlos, or it’s back to the tennis practice grind for you!”
Look Out Riyadh!
Now, as he heads to Riyadh, Alcaraz plans to uncoil like a spring, “full power” and all that jazz. It’s like watching a kid on Christmas morning! Despite a bit of star-struck admiration for Nadal, he reassures us that he’s all about playing good tennis and enjoying his time. This guy knows how to keep his priorities straight: tennis first, fanboying second! And let’s not forget about that forehand of his—he’s not just swinging for the fences; he’s clobbering them!
These conditions are tricky for me, the ball flies and bounces a lot. I like to play like this, I enjoy my tennis on this court. It’s great to play in front of all of you and I enjoy this court. I try to make it difficult for the rival, adapt to the conditions of the track. At first it was difficult for me to subtract, I had to find solutions. When I found them I played better, and I think he had a worse time than me.
It has been a great year for me, a bit of a roller coaster, great tournaments that I have won and, at the same time, others in which I have not played as well as I wanted. But I have had a good time in each tournament, I have learned in all of them and it is great to fight all year round. Now I come to a place where I am not used to playing, it is good to deactivate my mind a little from those tournaments and play good tennis enjoying myself here in Riyadh.
I have watched Rafa’s matches since I started playing tennis, I pay attention to him, I grew up with him being my idol and he still is. It is a shame that he retires from tennis, he is an important person in my life and my career. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to be a tennis player, and for him to retire now is hard for everyone. I don’t know if it’s a privilege to play against him once again or if it’s going to be difficult for me, but I’ll try to enjoy sharing the court with him. It’s difficult for everyone. I have seen him at the hotel, I have spoken with him a little, in addition to tennis we have talked about life. Tomorrow I’m going to go all out, full power, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s training at 100% and feeling the ball very well, the player he is, the legend he is, it doesn’t matter that he’s going to leave tennis soon. I want to play good tennis, I will try to play at the same level that I am doing, I will go for it without fear. I’m starting my career, so for now I have to stick with Rafa’s forehand, although I’m very happy with mine, so we’ll see at the end of my career which one was better.
Carlos Alcaraz, after his match
