Stairs four by four

Alexander Zverevthe double champion of Madrid Open dwarfed by Carlos Alcaraz in the final last Sunday, 6-3 y 6-1 in just one hour, he says that in the last season, when he faced and won against Charlie Brown in it Acapulco ATP 500predicted that the Spanish would reach the world top-10 in 2023. It must be interpreted as a laudatory prediction, his intention was to paint a promising future, but his bet failed by a year apart. The earliness of Alcaraz has broken molds for all. Go another resounding example: in 2021, around these same dates, just the Monday after the Masters 1.000 Madrilenian, which is the day that is updated the rankingAlcaraz was ranked 114th in the world. Today it shines in the sixth. There is more: the Murcian stands as one of the two best tennis players of 2022. By number of victories, 28, and titles, four, he is at the top of the ranking, although Rafa Nadal beats him in the Racethe annual classification by points, due to his brilliant start to the campaign and his victory in the only major contested: the Australian Open.

Los dazzling factsin any case, describe an exceptional player, who at 19 not only rubs shoulders with the best on the circuit, but is also capable of beating them. Djokovic, Nadal, Zverev, Tsitsipas and Berrettini have been some of his victims of the world top this season. As his coach says, the former number one John Charles Ferrero, his pupil “climbs the stairs four at a time”. His age invites caution, but his performance does not. That is why you have to visualize him in the next step, although in his case it would be more correct to say the next jump: victory in a Grand Slam. The next station is Roland Garros. Con Djokovic and Nadal active, are big words. But Alcaraz has to set the bar at that height. He has earned it.