It was Carlos Alcaraz, fighting with some chest-related ailment, who staged a heroic performance to top ATP Finals in Turin against Andrey Rublev. The 21-year-old Spaniard was wearing off Rublev with a 6-3, 7-6 (10-8) victory while sporting a pink nasal strip to breathe through as he had cut his practice session short due to the pain.
Alcaraz started forcefully as he broke Rublev’s serve twice to seal the first set in just 37 minutes. This early opening proved to be a precursor to an all-action match in which Alcaraz’s stamina and strong baseline game proved to be decisive factors in that victory from both physical limitations and the challenge posed by Rublev.
The first set with two players went to a highly dramatic tie-break, Alcaraz took advantage to win the set and, thus, the match. Indeed, Alcaraz dominated with 33 winners compared to only 14 for Rublev, thus signaling that Alcaraz is at his prime, where control and strategic strategy have an upper hand in matters over-court movement.
According to Alcaraz himself, he kept calm when the going was going bad with him having been unwell thereby emphasizing how he could get through even not being well because “I felt really calm on court, and I can play without really feeling bad. I think that was the key for me to just keep going and just focus, because I know how my game works.”
Alcaraz used this victory to rebound from the debacle of his last match, which saw him lose against Casper Ruud, when he had a good chance of being knocked out from the tournament. Rublev’s defeat now becomes the sixth straight-sets defeat for him in the year-end event.
Alcaraz surely has got a much-needed morale booster with this victory as it keeps alive the hopes of continuing in the tournament against Alexander Zverev in the final round-robin match.
That’s not all: Upon winning, Alcaraz showed his attachment with his home country by writing “Valencia” on the TV screen due to a recent tendency of floods that occurred in the region.
This action reflected his attachment to Spain and the people suffering from natural disasters, such as floods, in the way that fans all over the world appreciated his move. His ability to play in pain and his thoughtfulness make Alcaraz a profiled athlete who is talented as well as empathetic.
Closing in on the last confrontation of the group stage will be that highly crucial match of Alcaraz against Zverev to see if Alcaraz has a chance to continue into the next round of ATP Finals. Zverev, meanwhile, who at least so far has managed to beat Rublev in his first encounter, is also likely to take a steady stride in the semifinals of the tournament.
As one takes a peek at each passing game of Alcaraz, everybody seems to be holding their breath and waiting for Alcaraz to prove whether he can draw his way into the last stages of the tournament in Turin or not after facing this health setback recently.