Carlos Alcaraz faces today, Friday, at 2:30 p.m., the first serious test at Wimbledon 2024. The champion, 21 years old and world number 3, faces the American Frances Tiafoe26 years old and number 29, a rival who has been on the decline lately, although he maintains the explosiveness of his game and on a positive day can put anyone in trouble.
Although it doesn’t seem close to the level of the 2022 US Open semi-finals, when he took a youngster to a fifth set Carlos Alcarazwho later won in New York. It was a vibrant duel, because both have an attractive game and like to connect with the crowd.
Alcaraz won 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (5) and 6-3, putting the score at 1-1, since Tiafoe was the executioner of the Murcian in his debut at the Godó, in 2021, by 6-4 and 7-6 (2).
Tiafoe is wearing a brace on his right knee, the result of a fall at Queen’s a few weeks ago, a slip that almost cost him his presence at the All England Club.
Frances Tiafoe
Mosa’ab Elshamy / Ap-LaPresse
He arrived and made a lot of noise. He sent a message in which he explained his frustration with the poor results of recent times, when he was in the top-10 and aspired to flirt with the best. The dressing room did not like him calling his teammates “clowns”.
“I’m losing to clowns lately. I hate to say it, but I’m honest,” he said after coming back against the Italian Matthew Arnaldi two sets down in the first round.
With that qualifier, derogatory for colleagues with whom he has been measured, Tiafoe He deflected a speech that was critical of himself. “Last year I was top 10 and this year I’m hardly even seeded. I took tennis for granted, I got comfortable. And you forget what you did to win. You start to doubt yourself and all that kind of stuff,” he said.
He has never held his tongue. “I’m going for him,” he said when asked about Alcaraz, who responded with the same expression when asked about the same.
Frances Tiafoe, Big Foe
Julian Finney / Getty
There is a good relationship between them. “Although when you step onto the court you no longer have friends. You have to focus on yourself to try to beat him.”
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Notes that “Frances “He’s a great player, a great person too. He always gives the impression that he’s enjoying himself. He wants to put on a show. It’s going to be fun to play and watch. I’ll try to deploy all my weapons to beat him,” concluded the Murcia native.
2024-07-05 05:00:00
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