Carlos Alcaraz claimed his first title of the season in Rotterdam. The 21-year-old conquered his first indoor ATP title and lifted his first trophy since final 12 months’s Beijing Open. The Spaniard accomplished ATP titles on all 4 surfaces.
He achieved that on the youthful age than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Regardless of his current success, Alcaraz is raring to work even more durable! His coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, doesn’t need his participant to relaxation on his laurels.
Ferrero praised Alcaraz’s expertise whereas highlighting extra room for enhancements in numerous areas. Juan Carlos would like to see the four-time Main winner performing with extra consistency and improved psychological energy.
La mascotte de Rotterdam elle est trop fan de Carlos Alcaraz 🤣
On aurait tous fait la mêmepic.twitter.com/zH5NRocldh
— TennisTemple (@tennistemple) February 9, 2025
Carlos began the season on the Australian Open and misplaced to Novak Djokovic within the quarter-final. The Spaniard entered Rotterdam as the highest seed and bested three rivals in three units, taking part in at a excessive stage when it mattered probably the most.
World no. 3 ousted Hubert Hurkacz within the semi-final and organized the title conflict with Alex de Minaur. Searching for his first indoor ATP title, Alcaraz scored a 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win in an hour and 54 minutes, celebrating and getting into historical past books.
The youthful participant carried out higher behind the second serve. He suffered two breaks and delivered 4 breaks to deliver the victory residence. Alex outplayed world no. 3 from the baseline. Nonetheless, he hit fewer service winners and misplaced the bottom within the decider.
The Spaniard was off to an amazing begin. He served properly and landed a forehand within the third sport of the duel for a 4-2 benefit very quickly. Nonetheless, the Aussie recovered his sport and pulled the break again at 3-4, returning to the constructive facet.
Talking about psychological enhancements and sustaining a excessive stage, Carlos made one other push on the return at 4-4 and landed a backhand down the road winner for a break and one other benefit. World no. 3 wrapped up the primary set with a service winner in sport ten.
Keen to maneuver a step additional than a 12 months in the past, de Minaur performed higher within the second set. He seized the second break likelihood within the second sport for the benefit and created two extra break factors at 3-0. Alcaraz denied them and stayed inside one break deficit.
Alex saved a break level within the seventh sport with a forehand winner and closed it for 5-2. He offered one other maintain in sport 9, taking the set 6-3 and introducing a decider after an hour and 13 minutes. Carlos made a contemporary begin within the last a part of the duel.
He wasted a break level within the second sport and opened a 3-2 hole after a deuce in sport 5. The Spaniard stepped in on the return and generated break possibilities with a backhand winner. The highest seed seized the primary after the rival’s backhand error, constructing the essential benefit.
Carlos moved 5-2 up with a service winner in sport seven and offered one other break at 5-2 to emerge on the prime and rejoice his first indoor ATP title. Within the absence of Jannik Sinner, world no. 3 will lead the sector at subsequent week’s ATP 500 occasion in Doha.
“There’s all the time room for enchancment, particularly at 21. Carlos is a super-talented participant, however he nonetheless has a lot to enhance mentally and when it comes to consistency throughout matches. That is the great factor: we’ve got an apparent motivation and goals Carlos is conscious of,” Juan Carlos Ferrero mentioned.
