Carlos Alcaraz, the king of clay in Spain

GREGORY LEON

Carlos Alcaraz is the contemporary king of clay. Nobody in Spain has won so many games in such a short time, twenty-four. You have to rewind the tape a lot to date the last defeat of the jewel of Murcia on land. It was on her eighteenth birthday, with Rafa Nadal in front of her. There, unable to hold his nerve, intimidated by the egregious figure of legend, he had no choice. But in three years everything has changed. The triumph against Jan-Lennard Struff Not only does it place him in the quarterfinals of the Mutua Madrid Open, but it also makes him equal the record of consecutive victories, until now in the exclusive possession of Nadal: fourteen wins. It is not a battle won anymore, it is limited to the record achieved. No, also because of the how. Alcaraz chewed crystals to surrender his opponent.

Carlitos’ mother, Virginia, applauds. The father lets out a breath, in a sigh of relief, relaxing his contracted features.. Stones are appearing on the road. And he puts them, strategically, Jan-Lennard Struff. The German does not want to be just a passage in the biography of his opponent, whom he helped in the formation of him by beating him at Roland Garros so that the trend would later reverse. He has had up to three breakdowns, saved by Alcaraz, who realizes that he must raise his competitive level. And that’s why, at the slightest chance he has, he finds a loophole and he is the one who signs a break. 4-2. Things are already looking better.

The second chapter seems to be going smoothly for the El Palmar player, who raises his voice with a new rupture, confirmed with his service. Even the abandonment, that artistic luck in which he is a master, which springs spontaneously as if it were exudation, but which had resisted him, begins to give him points and confidence. Everything seems on track. But tennis always reserves surprises. Struff is far from capitulating. He is not going to show a white flag so soon, and he scores two consecutive games to multiply the interest of the match. And the sleeve goes to ‘tie-break’closed victoriously by the German with a ace. Return to the starting box.

And there Carlitos and the public realize that they must ally. Struff is grown up and the only way to silence him is by transporting the game to the emotional terrain. The fans applaud. Alcaraz celebrates a point enthusiastically, tensing all his muscles in a winning gesture. A break of serve makes it 3-1. Now, yes, the path seems clear. But it’s just appearance. Struff stands up again, saving up to four match points and leading him to sudden death, where finally, Alcaraz delivers the final and mortal blow to proclaim himself king of clay, amidst unanimous enthusiasm. A victory that enters the album of those chosen in the small and at the same time big story of a boy who continues to fall in love, walking around the world with a smile.