Alcaraz learning to problem-solve, match by match…
The current world number 3 Carlos Alcaraz came through another stern test on Tuesday against an in-form Tommy Paul. Tommy Paul who you ask? He is ranked 13 in the world (second highest ranked American man, only 1 behind Taylor Fritz) and going into this match, had an equal head-to-head of 2-2 against the Spaniard, which only a few in the world can boast of.
All their previous matches were played at Masters 1000s events on hard courts with Paul winning both times in Montreal (2022 and 2023) and Alcaraz winning in Miami (2023) and Cincinnati (2023; the most recent one). Paul also won one of the biggest pre-Wimbledon grass court tournaments – Queen’s (ATP 500) and was on a 9-match winning streak on grass. But Alcaraz made sure that the streak ended right there and now for the first time, leads the head-to-head 3-2.
If you’ve seen footage of any of the previous matches played between these two, it would be evident that Paul finds a certain rhythm against Alcaraz and enjoys the match-up. Unlike most players, he is able to rush the Spaniard with his fast movement around the court, aggressive returns and first-strike tennis.
Tuesday’s game – Alcaraz vs Paul
On Tuesday, there was drama right from the get go. Paul had to save 4 break points in the first game of the match by hitting a strong forehand, a shoulder-high kick serve and coming to the net. While the danger was averted momentarily, Alcaraz kept mounting the pressure and went a break up in Paul’s next service game, only on his 6th break point. The Spaniard’s quick movement to the right from his backhand side to unleash his vicious forehand (a sight to behold) was a go-to tactic for the young Spaniard. But then Paul broke right back to make it 2-2, where he hit a stunning running backhand down-the-line winner.
The first set turned brutal when the duo were engaged in a never-ending Alcaraz service game at 2-3, which lasted for 16 minutes! Alcaraz, unable to find his first serve in this game, had to resort to pin-point drop shots along with a down-the-line backhand winner to save break points and eventually hold serve. While Alcaraz generated a couple of break point opportunities in the next service game, he squandered each of them, by going for too much or with an uncharacteristic error on the forehand side. Alcaraz was going after Paul’s second serve with his forehand and generated more break point opportunities, one of them being shut down by Paul with a powerful inside-in forehand and finishing off the volley. Paul also held on to make it 5-4 on serve.
The match clock showed 1 hr and we were still in the 10th game of the first set. The match looked evenly balanced till then and was expected to be decided in a tiebreaker. But Paul had other plans and stepped up at 6-5 to finally break Alcaraz’s serve again with a block return and a backhand down-the-line passing shot to take the first set 7-5. It was an enthralling first set that lasted 72 min and showcased the athleticism, power and clean ball-striking ability of both players. Attacking the net and putting pressure on the Spaniard’s serve had paid dividends for the American. The statistics given below indicate that there was hardly anything between the two of them in the opening set.
Alc – Alcaraz
Source: wimbledon.com
The momentum was with Paul and he broke Alcaraz at the start of the second set to take a 2-0 lead. At this moment, you could hear the murmurs in the crowd, sensing that an upset was on the cards.
However, in Alcaraz’s mind, the match was far from over. He started controlling more of the baseline rallies, going after Paul’s forehand, his relatively weaker side. The forehand started firing again and the returns were landing deep. Alcaraz got back to 2-2 with a backhand down-the-line winner in an 18-shot rally. While his first serve % was even lower in this set (57% only!), the range on the groundstrokes made up for it. At 3-3, the Spaniard broke again, aided by a forehand error by Paul. While the American tried to stay aggressive during the remainder of the set by coming to the net and making strong first serve returns, it wasn’t enough to rattle the defending champion, who was now gaining in confidence and managed to close out the second set 6-4.
The first serve, a major weapon on grass, deserted both players throughout the match. The American used the kick serve more often on the first serve despite having a big flat serve in his repertoire. This strategy was questionable as although it was probably adopted to push Alcaraz outside the court on the return or to keep him guessing, the Spaniard was reading it too well to get it back with pace time and again.
The level of play had slightly dropped for both players in the 3rd set with many ups and downs in their respective games. With both players serving at ~50% first serves, cheap points on serve were hard to come by. Alcaraz was able to break early this time in the first game, unleashing some heavy forehands, extracting more errors from Paul’s weaker forehand wing again. Paul made some good first serve returns in the next game and got it back to 1-1. However, Alcaraz’s power and intensity, combined with his deft touch for drop shots, proved to be too much for Paul to handle. Alcaraz generated 8 break points in this set and converted 3 of them (2 more) to take the set 6-2.
By the start of the 4th set, Alcaraz was in full-flow and did not allow Paul to get back into the match. The first point was a 20-shot rally (longest of the match) which ended with Alcaraz hitting another backhand down-the-line winner. While Paul looked jaded by then, Alcaraz was only getting better. Hitting 103 mph forehand down-the-line winners off the ground, using the backhand slice effectively, changing direction easily and disguising the drop shots beautifully. The world number 3 looked unstoppable. Paul’s movement was slow and his second serve speed had also dropped. Alcaraz capitalised and broke Paul twice, eventually closing out the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2. Paul saved 19/27 break points in the match and still lost the match. This was also because the American’s unforced error count had mounted to 51 for the match compared to Alcaraz’s 37. While the scoreline may not imply it, the defending champion still had to dig deep in order to get the win.
This was the 3rd consecutive time that Alcaraz was being forced to step up, first in 5 sets by Frances Tiafoe in the 3rd round, then in 4 sets by Ugo Humbert in the 4th round and now by Paul, again in 4 sets. It was not very long ago when Alcaraz had no answers to Alexander Zverev’s attacking game backed by his serve+1 onslaught, in the Australian Open quarterfinals in Melbourne in January 2024. Alcaraz had failed to make the necessary changes required during a match in case his A game was not working. However, his recent performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon (till now) have shown how he is learning to problem-solve when things are not going his way. Many of his opponents have tried to rattle him by rushing him, but Alcaraz has been able to find solutions to come out on unscathed.
The Spaniard’s quest to defend his title at SW19 continues. In what is a repeat of the semi-final of last year, he faces the 5th seed Daniil Medvedev on Friday for a place in a second consecutive Wimbledon Men’s Singles Final.
