By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, October 5, 2024
Photo credit: Shi Tang/Getty
Stumbling through a disappointing American summer hard-court season, Carlos Alcaraz is flying high in China this fall.
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Beijing champion Alcaraz swept talented Chinese Juncheng Shang 6-3, 6-2 in his Rolex Shanghai Masters opener.
It was Alcaraz’s 10th consecutive victory.
Haunted by the emotional hangover of falling in the Olympic gold-medal match to Novak Djokovic in Paris, Alcaraz was upset by Gael Monfils in his Cincinnati opener before bowing to Botic van de Zandschulp in a US Open second round shocker.
Since then, Alcaraz has won 19 of 21 sets he’s played in his 10-match winning streak.
“I think I’m feeling great on the court, physically I’m feeling good,” Alcaraz told the media in Shanghai. “For me, for my tennis, it’s really important to feel that way. I’m hitting the ball really, really well as well, so I’m trying to be the same way in the matches.”
The reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion attributes his fall rise to two simple reasons: He’s feeling good physically and he’s reconnected with the joy of playing.
“I’m a guy that tries to keep the positive things. For example, in the American swing, it didn’t go as I expected, so I had more time to prepare well this part of the season,” Alcaraz said. “I had some weeks that I really worked, I put in really good work physically on the court as well, just to feel great coming to this tournament.
“I think that’s the difference, and that’s why I’m showing really good tennis, because physically I’m feeling great and, you know, I’m just trying to have joy and enjoy my time on the court, playing good points, playing good rallies, and the way that I’m hitting the ball is quite good lately.”
