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NDTV
9 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
The Magic Of Carlos Alcaraz
The Stade Roland Garros is named after French World War 1 fighter pilot and aviation pioneer (Eugène Adrien Roland Georges Garros). Over the years, another high-flier, albeit in tennis apparel, became synonymous with the venue. Winning 14 singles titles at one Grand Slam event will have that effect. Most tennis fans in fact believe that what Rafael Nadal managed to accomplish on the red clay of Paris is not just otherworldly, but frankly impossible to replicate. But a certain 22-year-old, who was barely into his second year on this planet when his compatriot, Nadal, won his maiden French Open title in 2005, would no doubt have pictured himself winning title number 15, someday. Carlos Alcaraz will have no memory of how Nadal beat Mariano Puerta to triumphantly lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires 20 years ago, but he made sure every serious tennis fan in the world will forever remember how he came back from being two sets down to successfully defend his French Open crown, while saving as many as three Championship points (match points in a final). Read that again. Only two men before this had saved Championship points en route to winning a Slam title in the Open Era - Gaston Gaudio in 2004 at Roland Garros and Novak Djokovic in 2019 at Wimbledon. Since the Open Era began in 1968, there had been only eight men who had come back from two sets down to win a Grand Slam final. On June 8, Alcaraz became the ninth. The ninth man in 57 years. It's not the most logical of things, but it is a facet of human nature that sometimes it takes a herculean effort to make people realise the obvious. There of course has been a lot of talk, for a while now, about who the worthy successors will be of the Big 3 (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic), and names like Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been on top of the list of potentials. But after what we witnessed on the court Philippe-Chatrier of the Stade Roland Garros in the French Open men's singles final this year - a clash of two different but supremely effective playing styles, in what was the longest ever final played at the venue (5 hours and 29 minutes) - there's no doubt that tennis fans will officially anoint both players as the biggest torchbearers of the new era in global men's singles tennis. This is the rivalry in men's tennis to watch out for, for now. The last six Slam titles have been shared by the two best players of this generation. It wasn't a surprise then to hear six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker say on Eurosport Germany, "It was the same with Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. What epic duels they've had over 15 years - and that's exactly the level I see Carlos and Jannik at." Seven-time Slam champion, Mats Wilander, told TNT Sports, "I thought: 'This is not possible - they're playing at a pace that is not human.'" A new era in men's tennis has well and truly begun. There's absolutely no doubt that tennis, like most other extremely physical sports, is mostly a young person's game. As the body ages and the reflexes become slower, it takes longer and longer to recuperate physically. Consequently, more and more 'older' players are left by the wayside. This is also one factor that made the likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic titans of the sport - they didn't seem to be afflicted by the usual tyrannies of ageing, like most mortals. But even so, to win five Grand Slam titles by the age of 22 is a monumental achievement. Alcaraz is the third youngest man to clinch five Slams after Bjorn Borg (21) and Rafa Nadal (22). But then, Alcaraz has always been "a phenom". He turned professional at the age of 15 in 2018 and broke into the men's top 100 rankings by 2021. He finished as the world number 35 that year (2021), after making it to the US Open quarter-finals - the youngest men's singles Grand Slam quarter-finalist since the then 18-year-old Michael Chang in 1990 at the French Open. From a first-time Grand Slam quarter-finalist to a five-time Slam champion in four years. Now, that is some super-fast progression. However, what is most remarkable about Alcaraz's development, so far, is that he is as comfortable on the fast (not as fast as it used to be of course) Wimbledon grass as he is on the slow, grind-it-out clay of Roland Garros. Most tennis players who come out of the Spanish stable are clay-court masters, because they are reared on clay from a very early age. Out of the 22 Slam titles that Nadal won in his career, 14 were won on clay - that's almost 64% of his total tally. Most people feel that a Spaniard's favourite tennis surface will always be clay, but Alcaraz has turned that stereotype on its head. Some experts feel that clay, in fact, does not really suit his high-risk, high-reward style of play because the longer rallies increase the chances of unforced errors for him, among other factors. So far in his career, Alcaraz has won Slam titles on all three different varieties of courts - hard, grass and clay, having clinched the US Open, Wimbledon and French Open titles. Some might feel hard courts might suit his game the most, but that would be inaccurate, going by his progression - he won the US Open in 2022 as his maiden Slam title, but hasn't won a hard-court Slam since then, while winning two Wimbledon and two French Open titles since then. Even the all-time greats like Federer, Rafa and Novak have been vulnerable on certain surfaces. Federer, who won 20 Grand Slams, managed to win just one French Open title. Nadal won Wimbledon just twice. Djokovic, in fact, is one player who has come very close to being almost invincible on all surfaces, but he, too, clearly prefers hard and grass courts. So, which is Carlos Alcaraz's favourite surface? The scary thing is: he might be a complete all-surface player. Of course, he has miles to go before he can legitimately earn that epithet, but even some of the legends of the game have conceded that he might have the best qualities of the Big 3, rolled into one. Eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi told TNT Sports, "....You gotta remember this guy has defence and speed like Novak, if not more. He has feel like Federer, you could argue at times if not more. He has RPMs in pace like Rafa. You could argue maybe even more." There have been only four men in this century who have won at least one Grand Slam title four years in a row. Alcaraz is the fourth. The first three were Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. There's a certain steely determination that runs through Alcaraz's veins. And it's not surprising. After all, he does have tennis in his blood. Carlos' father is a tennis player-turned-coach and handed Carlos a racquet at the age of four. That is when he joined the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia, where his father was coach and administrator. His father lit the spark, and it was noticed by no-nonsense manager Albert Molina when Carlos was just 11. Molina is also from Murcia (like Alcaraz) and was instrumental in the global talent-management company, IMG, signing the prodigy. He also introduced Carlos to former world number one, Juan Carlos Ferrero, who joined the Alcaraz camp as head coach in 2019. A recent Netflix documentary revealed how Molina was quite upset with Alcaraz when the youngster went to Ibiza for a holiday after losing to Nadal in the 2023 French Open. Molina felt the then 20-year-old was not taking his upcoming commitments, including Wimbledon, seriously. Alcaraz had the perfect reply for his manager - his first Wimbledon title, just a few weeks later. This anecdote shows, in many ways, how Alcaraz can switch on in an instant and can fuel himself with positivity and confidence, no matter what the situation. In the French Open final this time, Alcaraz was down love-40, trailing 3-5 in the fourth set against Sinner. He managed to save all three match points to turn the match on its head, before going on to win the fifth set tie-break and the Championship and scripting one of the all-time greatest comebacks in the sport. Alcaraz is only the second male player after Roger Federer to have remained unbeaten in his first five Slam finals. Ferrero, who has been coaching him since Alcaraz was 16, has gone on record to say that even he thought the Spaniard wouldn't be able to come back from that position, but "...with Carlos, everything is possible." Those might just turn out to be prophetic words.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Arise, noble Rafa, the Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess. Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier. Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess. Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier. Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess. Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier. Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess. Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
Perth Now
a day ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Arise, noble Rafa, the Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca
Spain's King Felipe VI has granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess. Nadal, the 22-time grand slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world No.1 Nadal, at 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was also honoured last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Court Philippe Chatrier.
GMA Network
a day ago
- Sport
- GMA Network
Spain's king makes Rafael Nadal a marquis
Rafael Nadal, 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. REUTERS/ Juan Medina/ File photo MADRID — Spain's King Felipe VI on Thursday granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognizing his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess, according to a royal household statement. Nadal, a 22-times Grand Slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honored as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world number one Nadal, 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was commemorated last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Centre Court. — Reuters
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
Spain's king makes Rafa Nadal a marquis
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros - Rafael Nadal of Spain vs Facundo Bagnis of Argentina. - Paris, France - 26/05/16. Nadal reacts after he won. REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol/File Photo MADRID (Reuters) -Spain's King Felipe VI on Thursday granted tennis great Rafa Nadal the noble title of marquis, recognising his contribution to the nation through sporting prowess, according to a royal household statement. Nadal, a 22-times Grand Slam champion who retired last year, was among six individuals honoured as part of celebrations marking the monarch's 10th anniversary on the throne. Other given such titles included pop-rock singer Luz Casal and Paralympic swimmer Teresa Perales. "They are a source of pride for Spain and a permanent reference point for values that should inspire our society," the palace said. Former world number one Nadal, 39, will hold the title Marquis of Llevant de Mallorca, the island where he was born and lives. The title can be inherited by his descendants. Nadal, who won the French Open a record 14 times, was commemorated last month at Roland Garros with a permanent footprint on the Centre Court. (Reporting by Emma Pinedo, editing by Ed Osmond)
