2024
Reflections of Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam season
Spaniard received the French Open and Wimbledon
September 01, 2024
Clive Brunskill/Getty Photos
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with the 2024 French Open trophy.
By ATPTour.com/es Workers
On Friday evening, Carlos Alcaraz was en path to the John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport to return to Murcia after bowing out within the second spherical of the US Open to Botic van de Zandschulp, who defeated the Spaniard in three units in one of many greatest upsets of the season.
Alcaraz, who posted a photograph on social media bidding farewell to the followers on the match till subsequent yr, ended his participation within the 2024 Grand Slams on Thursday with a return that he certainly would have taken at the beginning of the yr.
Beneath, ATPTour.com displays on the 21-year-old’s season at this yr’s majors.
AUSTRALIAN OPEN: QUARTER-FINALSAlcaraz arrived in Melbourne to play his first match on the calendar on the season’s first Grand Slam. He beat Richard Gasquet (first spherical), Lorenzo Sonego (second), Juncheng Shang (third) and Miomir Kecmanovic (final sixteen) earlier than assembly Alexander Zverev within the quarters. In that spherical, German despatched Spaniard packing after 4 units, ending his title hopes.
“I actually don’t know what occurred,” Alcaraz stated later. “I’d like to say what may need occurred, however I wasn’t feeling my recreation at the beginning of the match, with a number of errors that I wasn’t making in earlier matches, and my serve was very dangerous too…” he added.
“These sorts of issues shouldn’t occur to me; I can play effectively, I can play badly, however I can’t have zero really feel in my photographs, that may’t occur and it’s one thing we’ve to enhance.”
FRENCH OPEN: CHAMPIONUp to the quarter-finals, Alcaraz loved a comparatively simple run in Paris, defeating J.J. Wolf in spherical one, Jesper de Jong within the second spherical, Sebastian Korda within the third, Felix Auger-Aliassime within the final sixteen and Stefanos Tsitsipas within the quarters. Nevertheless, the semi-finals (Jannik Sinner) and the ultimate (Zverev) had been actual canine fights that had been determined in set 5, and Alcaraz was only a set away from going residence, as Sinner and Zverev each had the Murcia man on the ropes at 2-1.
“We’re nonetheless so excited to be right here,” admitted Alcaraz. “I see movies of after I was younger, right here in Paris, beneath the Eiffel Tower, watching Roland Garros. And years later I’m lifting the Musketeers’ Trophy… they’re lovely moments and it’s particularly thrilling for me.”
WIMBLEDON: CHAMPIONWeeks after claiming the crown at Roland Garros, Alcaraz arrived in Wimbledon because the defending champion (he had overwhelmed Novak Djokovic in 2023’s last).
After making simple work of the early rounds, sinking Mark Lajal and Aleksandar Vukic, the Spaniard got here by a five-set tussle with Frances Tiafoe, who was only one set from victory. In opposition to Uno Humbert, Tommy Paul and Daniil Medvedev, the world No. 3 wanted 4 units to progress, earlier than going through Djokovic within the last, the place he sealed his profitable title defence in three units.
“It’s a query of preventing and believing, I’m so completely happy to be on the identical desk as Djokovic,” stated the Murcia native. “However I nonetheless don’t take into account myself a champion of his stature.”
US OPEN: SECOND ROUNDWithout a doubt one of many greatest upsets of 2024. Having acquired previous Li Tu within the first spherical, the place he dropped a set, Alcaraz was caught off-guard by a shocking efficiency from Van de Zandschulp, who performed some good tennis to ship the 21-year-old 2022 US Open champion packing.
“Proper now I really feel like I’ve gone backwards mentally and I don’t perceive why,” stated Alcaraz. “I had a spectacular summer time at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. I left these tournaments saying that I’d taken a step ahead mentally. I’d realised that to win massive issues, to win Grand Slam titles, it’s a must to be mentally sturdy,” added the Spaniard. “And now I’ve reached this swing and I’ve taken steps backwards, like I’m not doing effectively mentally, I’m not sturdy. I don’t know the way to management myself when confronted with issues and I don’t know the way to deal with it.”
In 2025, very quickly, Alcaraz will probably be offered with 4 extra possibilities to shine on the large stage.
