Carlos Alcaraz, the teenaged Spanish tennis prodigy, just reached a career-best winning streak of 15 matches. He overcame a very tough – and talented – test from fellow countryman Jaume Munar to win at the Queen’s Club tournament. The match went three hours and 23 minutes. That made it the longest contest at the west London venue since 1991.
After a tense and closely contested battle, Alcaraz emerged victorious to the tune of 6-4, 6-7, 7-5. Even in victory, the 22-year-old was candid about dealing with mental and physical adversity during the third-set shootout that reached his shoulders blistering 140 mph serve. “I don’t even know how I’m walking,” he said after the match. Alcaraz faced a stern test as he found himself 4-2 down in the deciding set. With amazing perseverance and grit, he came back and won the match.
Over the course of the match, Alcaraz struggled with his serve, producing a staggering 53 unforced errors. He indeed had opportunity to put away the match earlier, after slipping on match point serving at 6-4 in the second-set tiebreak. That error proved significant as it allowed Munar to pull even on the set. At the end, Alcaraz closed out his victory on his third match point, a testament to his competitive toughness in the toughest moments.
In this hilarious scene following his upset win, Alcaraz inscribed on the lens of a cameraman’s camera—“Were we on clay?” He talked about his angst at some of the obstacles he faced on grass. Even for one of the all-time great clay-court phenoms, the challenges surprised him. What we saw from him at Queen’s Club shows that he is quickly impressing on quicker surfaces.
Alcaraz’s recent accomplishments include winning his fifth Grand Slam title by coming back from two sets down against Jannik Sinner in the longest French Open final in history. He’s just as good on grass, with 22 wins and a single second since the beginning of 2023. This record belies his triumphs, from last year’s Queen’s title to a championship-winning streak of nine consecutive Wimbledon victories.
On the court, backup Alcaraz is already shaking up the tennis world. His proven ability to turn adversity into opportunity on the court will make him an exciting player to watch in future tournaments. His journey, from survivor to star, reveals the power of extraordinary talent. It serves to emphasize the mental fortitude required to thrive at the top levels of sport.
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