How Carlos Alcaraz is ‘pushing opponents to the restrict’ | ATP Tour

Insights

How Alcaraz is ‘pushing opponents to the restrict’

TDI ‘Insights’ underscore Spaniard’s baseline dominance

September 13, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz produces fearless ballstriking and thrilling shotmaking that makes him one of the crucial thrilling gamers to look at on the ATP Tour. Nonetheless on the youthful age of 21, the Spaniard could dabble in his fair proportion of high-risk, high-reward performs, however key metrics affirm that Alcaraz’s electrifying groundstrokes are what have anchored his robust 2024 season, which has him on the cusp on qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Alcaraz is second in each forehand (8.62) and backhand shot high quality (8.24) this season, in response to Tennis Information Improvements, in partnership with TennisViz. Shot High quality is calculated in real-time by analysing every shot’s velocity, spin, depth, width, and the impression it has on the opponent.

Shot High quality Replace 🚨

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See the thread for serve, return and backhand…

Context: Tour Avg.
Serve 7.9
Return 6.5
Forehand 7.5
Backhand 7.1#TennisInsights | @atptour pic.twitter.com/NrGNOOSyNh

— Tennis Insights (@tennis_insights) September 12, 2024

“I feel I am at all times pushing my opponents to the restrict. I am attempting to be aggressive on a regular basis, simply to play totally different pictures,” Alcaraz lately stated. “I feel that I will say the worst factor for my opponent, they don’t seem to be going to know what is going on to be subsequent. They should be aggressive. They should defend nicely in the event that they wish to be alive within the level.”

The info and on-court outcomes go hand in hand. Alcaraz has received two of the season’s 4 majors and this 12 months’s ATP Masters 1000 occasion in Indian Wells. The one participant forward of Alcaraz in forehand and backhand shot high quality is rival and World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who captured each hard-court Slams this season. [Click here to read our feature on Sinner’s baseline domination in 2024].

Forehand Shot High quality (2024)

Backhand Shot High quality (2024)

Alcaraz’s firepower hardly ever drops off, regardless of which wing or the place he’s positioned within the court docket. His topspin forehand velocity of 78 mph is 3 mph above the Tour common and his forehand rpms of 3208 vs. the Tour common of 2708 rpms displays his weight of shot. His topspin backhand velocity of 73 mph is 5 mph quicker than the Tour common and his topspin backhand rpms is 2005, nicely above the Tour common of 1775.

On return, the 15-time tour-level titlist is third in return shot high quality (7.78), behind second-placed Daniil Medvedev (7.78) and Sinner (8.04).

Narrowly trailing the Spaniard in all three classes is similar man instantly beneath him within the PIF ATP Rankings: Novak Djokovic, who has claimed 99 tour-level trophies all through his illustrious profession.

The Serbian defeated Alcaraz within the Paris Olympics gold-medal match to seize his profession ‘Golden Slam’ — profitable all 4 majors and an Olympic gold medal. In a hard-fought battle, Djokovic produced arguably his greatest efficiency of the season simply weeks after falling to Alcaraz within the Wimbledon closing for the second consecutive 12 months.

Return Shot High quality (2024)

Conventional pondering could also be that this far into the season, the sport’s greatest servers would even be among the many Prime 10 within the PIF ATP Dwell Race To Turin, in good place for a spot on the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals. However in TDI’s shot high quality serve leaders, solely one of many Prime 5 gamers can also be Prime 10 within the Race: the 6’6″ Zverev.

In truth, this 12 months’s Rome champion is the one participant featured on all 4 shot high quality lists. 

Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, towering at 6’8″, stands above the remainder along with his serve shot high quality (9.38). The 21-year-old has loved a breakthrough season, having received his maiden tour-level title in Lyon and later reaching the Wimbledon fourth spherical. On the All England Membership, he upset twentieth seed Sebastian Korda within the first spherical, throughout which Mpetshi Perricard hammered 51 aces.

Additionally among the many serve high quality leaders is Milos Raonic, not far behind (9.32) Mpetshi Perricard. Reilly Opelka and Hubert Hurkacz are among the many Prime 5.

Serve Shot High quality (2024)