BY JAMES BECK
Right now is the time for Carlos Alcaraz.
He may have been very good in the past, and he may be even better in the future.
But on Sunday at Indian Wells, Calif., the young Spaniard’s game was on par with the best in tennis’ Open Era. He was that good in destroying the dreams of Daniil Medvedev in a 6-3, 6-2 romp in the final of the fifth most prestigious tennis tournament in the world.
WALKING WITH THE FAMED ONES
On this day, Alcaraz might have been better than the best of the “Famed Three” of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz was so brilliant his play was difficult to put into words. Perhaps, Tennis Channel analyst and former tennis great Jim Courier said it best: “Alcaraz is just too good.”
He was too good, too good to be just 19 years old and already being compared with the greats of the game.
But that’s who Alcaraz is. If he can just stay healthy and not doing even simple things such as scraping his knee while putting it on a grainy court surface while hitting what for him was a routine stroke.
JUST STAYING HEALTHY THE KEY TO GREATNESS
This guy just has to stay healthy. Alcaraz already has fans eating out of his hands.
How could anyone turn around a bullet-like shot from his opponent and so quickly turn it into a winner of its own? Alcaraz does it all the time. I’m not sure anyone else can load up a return shot with such quickness, power and accuracy.
Of course, Alcaraz will have his off days. He really is human.
All of the great ones look human on some days.
A player can’t put on the type of exhibitions of talent Alcaraz so often displays without having letdowns. The body can take only so much punishment.
But for now, Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 1 player in the world and has the potential to be as good as anyone ever to play this game.
WOMEN’S TOUR HAS ITS OWN BATTLES AHEAD
Aryna Sabalenka was so different in the women’s final than she had been in the semifinals in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Mara Sakkari. Sabalenka double-faulted three times in the first-set tiebreaker alone of her 7-6 (11), 6-4 loss to Elena Rybakina in the Indian Wells final.
Yes, everyone has off days.
Rybakina is 23 years old and very good. Sabalenka is just a year older and also very good.
Sabalenka just has to learn to play within herself . . . and control her serve.
The next few years should be exciting ones for tennis fans to watch these two, Rybakina and Sabalenka, battle for greatness. Of course, greatness may not be there for either of them.
Fighting off young Coco Gauff and current world’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek will be a task of its own.
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James Beck was the 2003 winner of the USTA National Media Award for print media. A 1995 MBA graduate of The Citadel, he can be reached at Jamesbecktennis@gmail.com.
