(Turin) Carlos Alcaraz has clearly been among the elite of men’s tennis for the past two years, especially considering that he has won two Grand Slam titles and finished last campaign ranked No. 1 in the world during this period.
The Spaniard, only 20 years old, however, would have liked to have had a better start on Monday in the end-of-season ATP tournament which brings together the eight best tennis players on the planet.
After missing the ATP Finals last year due to an abdominal injury, Alcaraz fell 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 to Germany’s Alexander Zverev, doubles champion of the competition.
PHOTO GUGLIELMO MANGIAPANE, REUTERS
Carlos Alcaraz
Zverev also missed last year’s tournament after tearing ligaments in his right ankle in the semifinals of the French Open against Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The powerful German slugger seems to appreciate the fast playing surface of the ‘Pala Alpitour’ in Turin – where he triumphed two years ago.
Zverev fired 16 aces, compared to 11 for the Spaniard, and he preserved five of the six break points offered to his opponent. In short, he never really allowed Alcaraz to hit his stride.
Zverev broke out in a cold sweat towards the end of the third set as he tried to reach a forehand from Alcaraz. He lost his balance, slipped and collapsed on the court, clutching his left ankle. Zverev, however, got up quickly and held his serve to take a 4-2 lead.
“I didn’t twist my ankle, I just slipped,” Zverev said.
Zverev was faced with a break point while serving for the match, but he fought back with an ace on the ‘T’. Two points later, the game was over.
Alcaraz can still hope to advance through the preliminary phase, since the first two players in each of the two groups will advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.
A little later today, in the Red group, Daniil Medvedev will face his compatriot Andrey Rublev.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner each won their first Green group match on Sunday.
