Fearless Alcaraz books place in Olympic gold medal match
Long may Carlos Alcaraz continue to play with the freedom and fearlessness of youth.
That, in a nutshell, was the reason for the cavernous difference between the Spaniard and Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals of the Olympic Tennis Event on Friday, never mind the reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion’s creative mastery and boundless energy.
Alcaraz won 6-1 6-1 in 75 minutes in the most-lop sided of their six previous encounters.
Where the Canadian, who should be able to rely on his heavy serve more for cheap points even on clay, was broken five times and double faulted away his overhead once in each set, Alcaraz’s only visible frailty came when all jeopardy was gone.
He double faulted on the first of his three match points in the 14th game but buried the match at his next opportunity, becoming the youngest player to reach the men’s singles gold medal match since tennis returned to the Olympics at Seoul 1988.
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"It means a lot to me to be in the final of the Olympic Games, giving myself the chance to fight for a gold medal for my country," said Alcaraz. "It’s a special moment for me, for my career, for my life.
Given how much the four-time Grand Slam champion has already achieved at the age of just 21 - and indeed how comfortable he has become on Court Philippe Chatrier like a certain Spaniard before him – most might be forgiven for treating Alcaraz’s first Olympic Games as a procession towards gold.
It is hard to see Novak Djokovic and his troublesome knee or Lorenzo Musetti, who he has beaten in four of their five clashes and not dropped a set against in over two years, providing any sizeable obstacle to his dreams of Olympic gold.
Even if the Serb miraculously returned to full fitness, or Musetti, the Wimbledon semi-finalist who toppled reigning Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals, moved up another gear in his welcome recent progress, it's just hard to see how anyone could stop Alcaraz in his current frame of my mind.
"I’m really focused to play the final on Sunday," he said. "[I'm] really happy to bring a happy to bring a medal to my country and hopefully it’s going to be a gold one."
Alcaraz becomes the fourth Spaniard to reach the men’s singles final since 1988 after Jordi Arrese at Barcelona 1992, Sergi Bruguera at Atlanta 1996 and Rafael Nadal at Beijing 2008.
Only the latter has gone on to win singles gold but he, more than anyone, knows that whatever happens at Paris 2024 Sunday is just an early chapter of many more to come in Alcaraz's story.
“I have played with a player that’s going to be one of the best in history,” said Nadal after their escapades in doubles this week. It takes one to know one.
Despite his difficult day on the singles court, Auger-Aliassime, meanwhile, still has two opportunities to medal at the Olympic Games.
As well as bronze in singles on offer, he will look to claim mixed doubles bronze this evening when he and Gaby Dabrowski take on Demi Schuurs and Wesley Koolhof in their third-place play-off.