Opinion: The future of tennis has arrived and he is called Carlos Alcaraz | sport shoes

Dominic Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrei Rublev … Many promises have appeared in recent years, they had their moments, but they never solidified to the point of breaking the dominance of the Big 3, which continued even after 30 years piling titles. To this limit.

2022 appears to have ended that wait with the meteoric rise of a young man, only 19, on May 5th, Carlos Alcaraz Garvea. It’s obviously too early to make any guarantees, but Carlitos has shown that he can dominate the professional tennis circuit for years to come.

In just over four months, the Spaniard has gone from his promise to establish himself as a reality, breaking records and winning heavyweight titles along the way. From the youngest Grand Slam player in history, in January, at the Australian Open, to the first Masters 1000 champion in Miami and now Madrid.

The title in the Spanish capital was the culmination of a great start to the season, Alcaraz’s fourth title in 2022 (ATP 500 in Rio and Barcelona, ​​as well as two Masters 1000 titles), the best mark among all men’s tennis. Not only for the importance of the cup, but along the way, he beat Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev (No. 3 in the world) on consecutive days.

“You are the best player in the world at the moment. Even though you are only five years old, you beat us all,” Zverev told Carlos after losing 2-0 in the final.

Carlitos’ growth in the ring has led to comparisons with Nadal, who is also Spanish and as early as his compatriot. But it is possible, and audacious, to say that the boy is an amalgamation of a trio of tennis geniuses. Roger Federer’s aggressiveness, Nadal’s speed and Djokovic’s coolness, all characteristics are present in the Murcia phenomenon.

Carlos shows an impressive maturity of a person who, to this day, has not even competed among professionals. In front of Nadal, he overcame an ankle sprain and had the mental strength to get back into the match after tying with a 6-1 loss in the second set.

Against Djoko, he got off to a bad start, barely managing to play the Serb serve, looking for a great comeback, without losing focus, always keeping the aggressive game, showing control in all his shots and with his trademark: shorts that surprise all competitors, even Currently the best in the world.

The Madrid final was at the Alcaraz party. Against an opponent six years older than him, it was the young Spaniard who showed maturity and dominated the match and made Sasha lose himself emotionally. A completely dominant victory over a rival fighting for the top of the world. This is all on clay, which is not my favorite surface.

It’s just the beginning of a career, but it’s impossible not to be in awe of what Carlitos was doing in 2022 and to dream of what he could be in the years to come. The future of tennis has come and it’s called Carlos Alcaraz Garvia. enjoy.