Javier Sanchez

Updated Tuesday,16January2024-18:09

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In his first match of the year, at the Australian Open, Carlos Alcaraz took to the court of Rod Laver Arena with his racquet bag, of course, and with an unusual accessory: a pair of grey street Nike Dunk Low. Maybe it was advertising: the brand has turned the Spaniard into one of its stars. Maybe it was flirtatious: she usually wears that model at the events in which she participates. The fact is that, after beating Richard Gasquet in three sets (7-6(5), 6-1 and 6-2) and advancing to the second round, Alcaraz changed his technical shoes for dress shoes simply to go to the locker room.

"Thank you for wearing the same Nikes I wore 40 years ago," John McEnroe blurted out, always accurate, always a joker. Alcaraz's debut in Melbourne was ideal, the best possible match for him, with suffering, enjoyment, learning and control, but his subsequent dialogue with McEnroe, one of the interviewers invited by the Grand Slam, surpassed him in attractiveness.

For example, the Spaniard who was number one in the ATP ranking between 1980 and 1985 asked the Spaniard if he sometimes executed certain shots just for the enjoyment of the public, if he made mistakes in pursuit of spectacle and he answered sincerely: "Sometimes yes". "With the drop shots, the uploads to the net... I play for myself, but I also try to make people have fun. Sometimes I don't look at the scoreboard and I look for impossible shots only for the public," Alcaraz responded to a dedicated crowd. It had been 10 minutes since the action was over, it was going to be midnight in Australia and there were more than 10,000 people listening to his words.

Another example, McEnroe pointed out his smile, demanded Alcaraz's trick to show himself happy on the court, so as never to twist the gesture, and he gave a confession. "When I was little I didn't enjoy it, I was always focused on practicing, practicing. Now I try to enjoy it, I think it's key in my game. When I suffer a little I look at my team and they help me smile again," explained the current number two in the world ranking in the perfect end to a round match.

Gasquet's weakness

As a first-round opponent, Gasquet was ideal, demanding in just the right measure. At 37 years of age, the Frenchman holds his own on the circuit with extraordinary technique and limited physique. He still plays in some ATP 500 and ATP 250 titles, but in the last five majors he has played, he has fallen in the first round, for example. In front of him, knowing that he would possibly win by endurance, Alcaraz could focus on positioning himself on the Australian court, on finding his game, on getting into a rhythm. And he did that in the first set, the only competitive period of the match.

In the first hour, with Gasquet still in one piece, Alcaraz felt the lack of previous tournaments and, at the same time, knew how to stay calm. Faced with the multitude of unused break points -up to nine-, one of his pending tasks from last season, he was effective with his serve and got to work. Sweats in the tiebreak. A few delicate points. And that's it. As soon as the tiebreaker was resolved, the contest was over.

The Cicadas That Don't Move Away

In the second round, he will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego, with whom he lost the only previous meeting, at the 1000 Masters 2021 in Cincinnati. Improving his game seems obligatory. In his debut, Alcaraz was physically fine, confident with his serve and dangerous on returns, but he lacked precision - 26 unforced errors - and effectiveness in the decisive points. Nothing I can't work on. If anything, the number of insects that roam the slopes of Melbourne Park remains a concern.

Other tennis players remain unmoved despite the high presence of a species of cicadas, but Alcaraz is bothered by them, there is no doubt about that. During his match against Gasquet, there were several moments in which he stopped to accompany the bugs off the court and in some he even ended up distracted, such as in the tie-break of the first set. From now on, he must show himself to be oblivious.