Nadal, Djokovic are absent, chess goes to Alcaraz
As a Masters 1000, but this year Indian Wells is missing two top stars Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. In January of this year, Nadal, due to problems with his abs, announced that he would be off until April.
That means that the Spanish clay king will not attend two important tournaments in North America, Indian Wells and Miami Open in March.
As for Djokovic, the Serbian tennis player has absolutely no health problems. However, he was not allowed to enter the US because he refused to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Despite the fact that the organizers of Indian Wells asked for priority for Djokovic, the US government still did not approve him to participate in the tournament where Alcaraz is being selected as the number 1 seed.
Without Nadal and Djokovic, Indian Wells has to rely heavily on Alcaraz to save the tournament. Although only 19 years old, but Alcaraz has this honor because he has shown the level of a big star.
Remember before the start of Indian Wells, the tournament director, former tennis player Tommy Haas, once shared: “We are praying that Alcaraz will not miss the appointment with Indian Wells due to injury. From just a kid with potential, Alcaraz suddenly had an explosive year to become the youngest player of all time to climb to No. 1 in the world.
“We don’t understand why Alcaraz did it. One thing is for sure, enjoying his games is really great.”
True to Haas’s statement, Alcaraz has had an extremely memorable 2022. In September last year, he excelled over colleague Casper in the final of the US Open to win the first Grand Slam title. That feat helped “little Nadal” conquer the world No.
Where does the attraction of Alcaraz come from?
In the women’s event at Indian Wells this year, even the matches with the participation of world number 1 Iga Swiatek had very few spectators. However, the matches that Alcaraz participated in, the stands were almost empty.
The above fact shows that Alcaraz is no different from a magnet with great attraction. That attraction does not come naturally, but it comes from the enthusiastic, dedicated and entertaining play of the young Spaniard.
Remember after a good start at Indian Wells with a victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis, Alcaraz once revealed: “I always try to make people enjoy watching tennis. I think the way I play creates excitement for the audience.”
Witnessing Alcaraz reach the top when he was so young, there were many people who feared that he would become a flower that soon blooms and fades. In fact, external temptations and great pressure are always obstacles that rising players like Alcaraz find it difficult to overcome.
Not far away, last year female tennis player Ashleigh Barty announced her retirement at the age of 25. At that time, she was ranked number 1 in the world for 144 consecutive weeks.
With consecutive health problems on the eve of Indian Wells, Alcaraz must have great will and bravery to not fall behind. The secret to Alcaraz being able to stand up to difficulties and pressure is his admirable mindset.
According to Alcaraz, he is not concerned with frivolous things, sleeping on victory or worrying about future problems. “I always live to the fullest in every moment. When I go into each match, I forget everything around and just try to fight to win,” Alcaraz affirmed.
With such a mature mindset, and without having to face formidable opponents like Nadal or Djokovic, Alcaraz is winning like a bamboo split in Indian Wells. If he wins this tournament, he will return to the number 1 position in the world.
Alcaraz hits 100 wins very quickly
Alcaraz recently hit 100 wins at the tour level, defeating Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 7-6(4), 6-3 in the third round of Indian Well. To achieve the above achievement, he only needed to play 132 matches. In the top of the fastest players to conquer the 100-game mark, Alcaraz is only behind the legendary John McEnroe (playing only 131 matches with the same record as Alcaraz). In third place is Andre Agassi, a famous American tennis player (losing 35/135 first matches).
Defeat Draper in just 46 minutes
In the eighth round of Indian Wells, Alcaraz easily overcame British tennis player Jack Draper after only 46 minutes. When Alcaraz was leading 6-2, 2-0, his opponent took the initiative to stop the game early and accept defeat. The reason Draper had to give up was because he had a stomachache. This problem makes Draper unable to move at high speed. In addition, his serves also lacked power. If there is enough health, there is a high chance that Draper still cannot come back to Alcaraz.
