Rafael Nadal ‘s throne remains intact and in his possession despite the emergence of a very young tennis genius named Carlos Alcaraz . In a battle that began with the appearance of succession, continued to include the wind as a differential element and ended with the sublimation of the tennis of both contenders, Rafa confirmed himself as the best ( 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 ) in adverse conditions and He gave a lesson in control and determination to a rival as young as he was huge, with whom he aims to experience many duels in the final rounds.
Nadal recovered from each of the blows of infinite talent from Alcaraz , who at 18 is already one of the best tennis players on the planet. Big words about this match, which lasted until three hours and 11 minutes with interruptions due to the hurricane wind that did not prevent Rafa and Carlos from fighting in a duel of maximum respect and endless praise distributed for the virtues that place them as the best of 2022. Nadal , the winner, reaches his twentieth consecutive victory of the season without failure and this Sunday, against Taylor Fritz , he will try to consummate the full with his fourth title of 2022 and the fourth also in Indian Wells. He is the best of all time for a reason.
Numbers in hand, it is impossible to discuss the (almost) trace of the careers of Alcaraz and Nadal at the age of the Murcian, but no matter how much they wear the same brand of clothing, carry the same rackets, both are more than strong and they are chosen mentally, in tennis they are quite different. While Rafa bases his game on volume and counterattack, Carlos represents the modern profile of a steamroller from the back of the court, looking for the winner with each shot and with all good ones. Spectacular the first and the second, each in its own style, and necessary to make the meeting one of alternatives within the history of the crossing.
To explain what happened in a game that will go down in history, it is essential to know about the ultra-offensive spirit of Alcaraz , a true cyborg made by and for the attacking game, even though his physique and tenacity also make him competitive in defense. The Murcian wanted to shake off his nerves from the start and, after choosing to subtract in the draw, he completed the perfect start, stick by stick, to break the serve of the king of world tennis in 2022, shaken by a hurricane that has taken Indian Wells since its landing in California .
Carlos had the break, but Nadal had patience on his side, the one that did not go away after a second game in which he lost one and another break point. He would debut in the third and in the fourth, always attentive, he made his very young rival pay dearly for irregularity, who lost his serve and returned the tables on the scoreboard.
Christmas until the first set
Only four games had passed and between the first and the last point a world was divided. The wind began to blow and not figuratively, which turned the generational, talent and level fight into a strategic one to see who best adapted to the conditions. Nadal , who already knows how to handle the breeze in California , knew that he had to stand firm and play with margin in case the bad weather pushed the ball out. Carlos , on the other hand, continued to give heads or tails that he did so well thanks to his status as the chosen tennis player. The Murcian played with fire… and ended up burning.
It was in the tenth game of the first sleeve, also a kilometer, with him at the service. After a carousel of breakages, the match hour was fulfilled and also the decision in favor of Nadal . Carlos –even– failed more than before, and he wasn’t doing it a little, and the lack of control led him to give his rival three break points. In a noteworthy effort, the tennis-impressive teenager picked them up, but unsuspectingly gave up two more to Rafa . The second of these was not going to be wasted. Nadal was tied to the game and took the first leg of the game with him. A first lesson by the best in history.
It may seem that Alcaraz was having a bad game, but nothing could be further from the truth. His level reached for many moments that experienced in the previous rounds, but this time in front was Rafa , king of world tennis and absolute dominator of the opposite conditions. His comeback was that of another day. The first set was his and victory 20 – of 20 – was closer.
The hurricane was Alcaraz
The wind , which had weighted at the end of the first set, reached borderline levels to continue playing at the beginning of the second. In him, he was much more noticeable as Nadal despite having him against. However, this fact meant that Alcaraz stayed in the match before a change of pitch that could be decisive. It wasn’t, but it kicked off a break-and-counter-break give-and-take that turned the match into a spectacle, albeit marked by the wind.
Extraordinary streaks jeopardized the dispute, but the absence of complaints from two players who were also exemplary in these matches allowed the tennis-like abstraction despite the inhumane conditions of the game. The rest was much more comfortable than the serve and so Nadal and Alcaraz broke down time and time again, mixing logical errors with more than meritorious blows until reaching 5-4.
Again the tenth game would be decisive, although in this case in favor of a fearsome Alcaraz , who activated his service just in time and with a volley of many carats and taking advantage of an error by Nadal , he aimed his sleeve and put the tables with two hours and a half of the game already played. The match had epic and tennis in equal parts and would be decided in a third set that would not lack neither one nor the other.
The twentieth of King Nadal
The wind, luckily, ceased its gusts and left room for the speed to be set by the real protagonists, with their blows and their runs. The match became a pure tennis show and there both showed a physical background within the reach of very, very few on the circuit. Close to the three hours of the game, later overcome, Nadal and Alcaraz left points to remember while each one, and it had not been the usual trend, far from it, tied their serve to stay in the game.
The winner would decide a detail and in that, despite the fact that Alcaraz was up to the task in each and every one of the conditioning factors of the match, Nadal is the absolute king. The man from Manacor perfectly deciphered the turning point of the third set and reminded Carlos of his previous doubts and the youth that lacks experience in these fights. The cocktail was deadly for the Murcian… and for the party. Nadal had done it again . His twentieth victory has incalculable merit and confirms him as the king in all aspects of tennis. In case there was any doubt, there is Rafa champion for a while.
