Even before the first half of the 2023 season, Carlos Alcaraz already had six ATP titles, including an Indian Wells Masters 1000 title. The Spaniard was soaring high and struck his greatest win for him when he defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon final to lift his second career Grand Slam title.
However, after disappointing outcomes in the China Open, Shanghai Masters, and Rolex Paris Masters, the 20-year-old star reached the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Final and then headed to Mexico City for an amazing exhibition game with Tommy Paul.
Alcaraz’s stunning shot draws praise from Iga Swiatek
The ATP and WTA seasons might be over for the next few weeks but that will not stop top players from participating in exhibitions in big cities all over the world. With great pay and high exposure to the audience, these exhibitions come in handy as gifts. Carlos Alcraz played in one such exhibition against Tommy Paul in Mexico and he hit one of the most insane shots you are likely to ever see.
In an estimated viewing crowd of 30,000, there was appreciation and cheers for Carlos Alcaraz’s display. Even though there is no point given in this kind of exhibition match, one of the pressing needs is for players to remain fit and not get hurt.
But while the crowd in the stadium went absolutely nuts, so did other players. Tommy Paul could do nothing but applaud because of the skill that Carlos Alcaraz possessed to pull the shot off. WTA No. 1 Iga Swiatek responded on X ( formerly known as Twitter) in a simple but perfect way.
Carlos Alcaraz proved why he is world no. 2 when he won the first set 7-6 before cruising 6-4 in the second set. Tennis fans and lovers are hopefully that15 more years or more of Alcaraz will still be hitting shots such as the one above.
Djokovic labels win against Alcaraz as the standout performance of the year
Novak Djokovic produced an impressive display to dismiss World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2 for a place in the Nitto ATP Finals championship match. However, Novak Djokovic won the match against Jannik Sinner to lift his seventh ATP Finals trophy of the season. Djokovic, who had earlier won the Paris Masters didnât show any sign of fatigue as his form provided a pathway to another title.
âOne of the best matches of the year in these circumstances playing probably the biggest rival I had this year, Carlos. We had some epic matches. Actually, all three matches we played this year were marathon matches that went the distance,â Djokovic said. âI think everyone expected, including probably both of us, that we were going to have a long night, a big fight, a long match.
âI just managed to I guess step it up. When I broke his serve at 4-3 in the first set, played a really flawless match until the end of the match. Played great tennis, high level, put a lot of pressure on his service games, made him play. I served really well when I needed to.â
Djokovic needed three hours and 49 minutes to defeat the 20-year-old in the Cincinnati final. But by playing what he called âone of the best matches of the yearâ, the Serbian faced much less difficulty Holger Rune and Hurkacz Hubert at the Pala Alpitour.
What’s your take on Carlos Alcaraz’s performance? Make sure to let us know in the comments section.
