Alcaraz and a game replete with weapons

Before the first ball was struck in anger at this year’s Wimbledon, the prestigious Sunday Times Magazine described Carlos Alcaraz as ‘the saviour of tennis’. The 21-year-old got wind of the compliment after progressing to the third round at Wimbledon.

“They’re really nice compliments and I accept them,” declared the Spaniard on Wednesday after seeing off Aleksandar Vukic in three sets to book a third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting with Frances Tiafoe. "It feels good to hear that, but I don’t feel like the saviour of tennis. In the end, tennis is evolving.

"Of course we had an amazing era with [Roger] Federer, Rafa [Nadal] and [Novak] Djokovic. We’re still enjoying Djokovic, we can’t enjoy Roger anymore and we don’t know what Rafa still may play. We try to provide good tennis. We try to allow people to enjoy it. There are many players who are also great to watch. I enjoy myself when the people enjoy themselves, but I’m not a saviour of tennis or anything close to it.”

Defending champ in the mood 🚀@carlosalcaraz knocks out Vukic 7-6(5) 6-2 6-2@Wimbledon | #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/UAe376xtTz

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 3, 2024

One thing is clear, though; the way the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings Alcaraz plays sets him apart. The repertoire of shots he freely deploys never fails to delight the public, including his famous drop shots.

“It comes naturally to me,” said the player from Murcia. “I’ve always stood out for that. When I was little, I wasn’t strong, I didn’t have big shots, but I did have a lot of variety. That’s why I stood out a bit at 10, 11 or 12 years of age. I could already serve-volley at that age, hit lob shots and approach the net, play drop shots... I had a pretty broad range. It’s something that’s always been natural to me.

“I always try to be true to my style in every match I play; being aggressive, hitting winners, return-volley, serve-volley, trying to approach the net as much as possible. That’s the tennis we try to play every match and we try to perfect that more and more.”

Of course, his tennis includes more than just drop shots, as Alcaraz himself explained.

“To me, [my volleys] are big weapons, and not just doing half-volleys, which I feel very comfortable with, but forcing myself to hit forward. When I get my footwork right, I’m in position to approach for the volley and hit forward. That really helps me hit the middle of the racquet, hit it well and finish with a winner or get a comfortable volley.

“They are both key on grass. It’s very important to get in an attacking position before the opponent does and it really helps me to stay true to my style and dictate the game before they do.”

Editor’s Note: This story was translated from ATPTour.com/es.