When I was 22 years old, Carlos Alcaraz He has already won six Grand Slams. He still says he didn’t get a seat at the older people’s table, but he’s on his way there. By faith, talent, and work. Number 1 in 2025 … 2022 has seen a huge improvement in quality since he first won the ATP Championship, and there was everything to discover and experience in 2022. This year he has been through many situations and has coped well, but he has never believed that he is invincible with an impressive win like the Roland Garros final, or that he is the worst with losses like the first round in Miami and Paris.
I’ve grown up. a lot. In tennis, my serve and backhand have improved significantly. But most of all mentally, winning without playing well, or at least competing and getting to the end of the course with energy and consistency.that’s always been against me. And I try to work as much as possible. This year showed me that I have grown. I won, made it to the finals, or did well in almost every tournament. He won on clay courts (Monte Carlo, Rome, Roland Garros), grass courts (Queens), and hard courts (Cincinnati, US Open, Tokyo). He then crossed out the scenario that resisted him: indoor hard courts. “It’s been a great season, it’s great on this surface,” said the Murcian, suddenly surprised as he did not remember winning his first title in such conditions in Rotterdam at the beginning of the year.
He has three more wins at the ATP Finals, but knows he needs a little more polish in areas dominated by Sinner. The Italian added: 29 consecutive wins He will face Ben Shelton (6-3, 7-6(3)) on the Blue Roof and aim for 30th place this Saturday (2:30 p.m., Movistar). He hasn’t lost a set since the 2023 final on this court. 13th consecutive pleasure from Vienna. But there’s an explanation for everything, and it has something to do with the play style that’s adapted so well to Electric Blue.
Former tennis player explains on ABC roberto carretero: «Sinner has a more specific hard court game. It’s more direct and flatter. He plays beyond the line and the bounce of the ball and always plays with very good speed. Also, since this court is indoors, there is no wind or sun, and there is nothing to interfere with the ball, giving you more control over the ball. By not moving at all, you will get a nobler shot and will always touch the ball cleanly. “That takes away a lot of the opponent’s reaction time.”
Alcaraz is a chameleon-like tennis player who dominates clay with a varied and high-level game, able to tame turf in just a few matches. He is 103-19 (84%) in red and 22-1 in 2025. Green has a better winning percentage: 35-4 (89%), 11-1 in 2025. His dominance on hard courts diminished, winning 141 of 182 matches (77%), while indoors he had the lowest record for a dedicated student like him: 31-14 (68%). Six Grand Slams and 22 years of data are proposed to be revised, leaving potential and room for improvement over time. He won his first indoor title in March and, forgetting his first-round slip at the Paris Masters 1,000, he hopes those three wins at the ATP Finals will turn into four when the final is held this Saturday (8:30 p.m., Movistar). Felix Auger-Aliassimeexecuted Alexander Zverev 6-4, 7-6(4).
training and sensation
“I don’t have much experience on this surface, but at the moment I feel very good after each match and I want to continue like this. Oh, I forgot that we won in Rotterdam. Yes, I would say this is the best season here,” joked the Murcian, but the El Palmar player said it was a matter of practice, and Carretero explained:Alcaraz can be played in more ways than Sinnerit’s taller, leans back, and adapts to wind and conditions, but it takes longer to rebound from impact. And Sinner took it away thanks to his direct and very fast tennis. It causes harm when it reaches land.
For the former tennis player, there was an element of education on either court, and while the Spaniard was able to train more outdoors due to the weather, Sinner had more options to develop on a closed court. “That’s something that commonly happens in Spanish tennis. We grew up on dirt, so we’re more complete and more versatile thanks to dirt, but we’re not as good on a court that we’ve barely touched. The game changes as you grow. But it’s possible to train and improve and adapt your game to the demands of the court,” he added, believing Alcaraz will manage to master this track as well.
For Sinner, the king of these conditions, it’s simply because of how he feels on the course, something intangible that you can’t really train for. «I feel like it suits my play style very well.. It’s now easier to get into the rhythm of training. That’s it. When someone hits a fast ball, it is very difficult to change the pace of the ball. And it is very useful for playing indoors. There’s no wind, no sun. I always have the same feeling on the court. “I’m very comfortable with this.” Sinner has the upper hand for now, but Alcaraz is lurking in hopes of breaking through this last frontier of indoor fast courts with a shot at making it to today’s ATP Finals. And if it’s against the Italians on Sunday, the bigger the challenge, the better.
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