Carlos Alcaraz and his baptism of fire

Wimbledon is the best ‘showcase’ of world tennis. The respect for the game and the tradition that is felt on the center court is not, from my point of view, comparable to any other Grand Slam tournament. Diversity in the game is important. Playing on clay as at Roland Garros, on concrete as at the USOpen and on grass as at Wimbledon increases, due to the contrast between slow and fast courts, the prestige of the great champion. When Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer in the 2008 Wimbledon final, in what is considered the best match in history – which is still a metaphor – 6/4 6/4 6/7 6/7 9/7 in the fifth set, he goes through the front door of tennis. Carlos Alcaraz – who is no longer Carlitos – wins his first Wimbledon, defeating the greatest winner in Grand Slam history, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic 1/6 7/6 6/1 3/6 6/4 in a wonderful match; a classic for all time and, like Rafa, entered the history of world tennis.

The Spanish tennis player should be proud that the boy from Murcia, who learned to play on clay courts, has at the age of 20 a Grand Slam on cement and another on grass, eliminating doubts about which surface is the best for developing the virtues of diversity, strategies and symphonies of the game – as long as the technique is correct – learning moves, all tools and chess moves.

The favorite at Wimbledon was undoubtedly Novak, the player who won it 7 times and was on the verge of equaling the record of Roger Federer, the favorite of the English audience, for his style, elegance, mobility and chivalry, virtues valued by the natives of Wimbledon, the island.

Tennis, like chess, thanks to the way points, games and sets are added up, has a special magic where concentration is intense and you can’t relax even for a moment because a mistake can change your destiny. of souls In those moments, a constantly changing game is created, ‘one thing for me, another for you’.

The start of the match with a nervous ‘Carlitos’, perhaps burdened by his opponent’s story and the memory of the last meeting at Roland Garros, was terrible. ‘Boy’ didn’t get the game; being zero on the central court is humiliating, and Novak, sure of himself, feeling like the owner of the cathedral, that ‘warrior of a thousand battles’, shows his character: 6/1 in thirty minutes. In the second set, Carlitos appears again, he plays without so much haste, nor so much nerves, and the Serbian begins to miss his first serve in a noticeable way, giving way to an even match. The fears remain, Carlitos becomes Carlos, but the rival remains the same. In the tie break, the Serb dominates and is very close to a 2-set lead, but fate – that usual stranger – forces him to miss two easy failures and lose the set.

And just like in chess, when you make a wrong move, you pay dearly. Carlos starts to play much more relaxed, the energy is transformed into confidence and he plays as an equal. The key game of the set is played at 3/1, the Serb’s serve, and after 13 ‘doubles’ and 26′ of the game, Carlos breaks Novak’s serve for the second time and a few minutes later wins the third set with 6/1.

Will the boy withstand the pressure of closing the game? Will the teenager be able to maintain his balance and self-confidence? Or will he succumb to fame and character like his rival? These are the questions that the viewer asks themselves, knowing that in the final against Federer in the fifth set and at the same place, Djokovic raised 7/8 and 15/40. There are a lot of emotions and energy that Novak experienced on that court, many hours that his spirit spent on the grass of the center court… all this is in his favor.

The match is even, but Novak steps on the gas and wins the fourth set with 6/3.

Sometimes matches are defined at the beginning. On grass, the intensity and weight of ‘being behind the result’ is much more important than on other surfaces. As time passes and you fall behind – and time passes faster than in other courses – nervousness and self-doubt add to the pressure.

In one of them, Carlos breaks Novak’s serve, confirming the break by winning his own and putting himself at 3/1.

The fight was titanic, Djokovic was Djokovic again. The intensity of the match found the Spaniard in a state of grace, returning blow for blow with the confidence typical of his age, playing brilliant, excellent tennis.

Carlos conquered the 6/4 fifth thirst with authority, passed his ‘baptism of fire’ and at only 20 years of age managed to be, in my opinion, a worthy successor to Nadal. And it is obvious that he can win more titles at Wimbledon than any other Spaniard. In other words: Carlos Alcaraz is the new star of world tennis.

Tito Vázquez from Ourense captained Argentina in the Davis Cup