For the first time since his 2024 US Open exit, Carlos Alcaraz found himself on the tennis courts again and played a decent match against Tomas Machac.
These two left New York in quite different moods. Machac had a great event, continuing a strong summer, which saw him winning a medal at the Paris Olympics in the mixed doubles.
Alcaraz also won a medal at the Olympics, but the Spaniard didn’t have the best time in New York. He faced Botic van de Zandschulp, who bested him in straight sets for a shocking upset.
His return to the courts happened in Valencia as part of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals group stage, where he hopes to help Spain qualify for the knockout stages in Malaga in November. His first match was a tough one against an in-form Machac.
The first set didn’t feature any surprises, as it ended up in a tie-break. Machac ultimately ended up winning that tie-break 7-3, and he was quite lucky to get away with that.
Alcaraz found a much better rhythm in the second set as Machac continued to pile up errors. He added another break and ultimately won the second set 6-1.
It was a worse performance from Machac, who had only six winners and 20 unforced errors. However, that was also because of a physical issue that was troubling him in the second set.
He felt it after a point early in the second set, and he was ultimately forced to retire during the first game of the third set.
It was an unfortunate end for the Czech player, who needed to win to give his country a chance, as Spain won the first match. With this win, Spain won the tie against the Czech Republic, even though Alcaraz would have preferred to finish the match. Still, he enjoyed playing in front of the home crowd.
“Honestly it’s a special feeling for me playing here in Valencia at the Davis Cup. I missed it last year. As I said many times, the schedule in tennis is really tight. There are a lot of tournaments I love to play.”
“But sometimes I can’t do it. Last year this was the case for me. Missing the Davis Cup. But this year I’m really excited about it. It’s a really special feeling for me.”
