Carlos Alcaraz, cruising into the quarterfinals of US Open, is now just two wins away from a second title at Flushing Meadows but his latest triumph was marked with a concern for his fans.
The Spaniard saw off Matteo Arnaldi in optimal 3-set time before marching into the final eight at the tournament as he bagged an emphatic 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 victory on Arthur Ashe. However, the strapped left leg was a sign of big concern for the Alcaraz and tennis fans after the 20-year old was seen using the support for the first time in the tourney.
While Alcaraz’s mobility on court was as always dominant, any hint of injury could be a genuine concern for all those who have their fingers crossed for highly anticipated Djokovic-Alcaraz final. Appearing in the quarters on Wednesday, the defending US Open champion has stated that injury is not a concern at this time however, he skipped a practice session on Sunday and then came on court with his thigh draped with bandage. Alcaraz’s camp also cleared the air by rejected the injury rumors while Alcaraz backed up their claims with the similar diagnosis as he thwarted skilled Italian Matteo Arnaldi in a straight-set victory.
The 2023 Wimbledon champion also addressed the injury concerns in his press conference: “It’s pretty tough playing in a Grand Slam. You play tough matches during two weeks and it’s normal that you get some pains in your body and you have to take care of it. It’s nothing serious. I’m just taking care of it.”
Given his flawless display of tennis in R16, this should be convincing enough and even more impressive if he was carrying an injury to only give his best. Arnaldi did manage to convert a break at the start of the third set but it was too little, too late and Alcaraz raced to the finish line in under two hours.
“The intensity from the beginning to the last ball, I think I played a really solid match,” said Alcaraz.
“Less mistakes. I played my game. Tried to go to the net all the time. I am really happy with the performance in general. I focus on every match and I really feel happy that I did it today.
“Right now my favourite surface is hard court and when I won Wimbledon I said I fell in love with grass. I am really comfortable with the three surfaces, but right now hard courts is my favourite one.”
Once again the 20-year-old did his best to entertain the crowds that gathered around center court at Flushing Meadows and pledged to make his matches a joy to watch.
“Obviously, I want to win every match that I play, but at the same time, I want to have fun,” said Alcaraz after his win against Dan Evans on Saturday.
“I try different things, make the people enjoy watching tennis and watching my matches. Sometimes I talk to myself about what is most important: if I win or doing great things.
“I always have that variety. When I was young, I’m playing, you know, under-12, under-14 tournaments, I did this.
“In my mind comes a lot of different things before hitting the shot. Probably the drop shot, big forehand, go to the net, you know, multiple things, you know, and sometimes it was tough to find the right one.
“For me, you know, when I was younger, it was difficult sometimes. But right now I think most of the time I find the right one, but sometimes I struggle, you know, to hit good shots because of that.”
The Spaniard may have already taken over his peers to become the most popular player on the men’s tour and that is partly because of his sheer will to display effervescence every time he lands on the tennis courts. Djokovic is duly labelled as a machine but his generational rival can be described as a machine 2.0 that for now seems working great enough and also entertaining a reformed fan clubs as well as newer audiences with his non-bland brand of tennis.