Alcaraz: “If we eliminate this, we end the legacy of the Grand Slams and the Grand Slams themselves”

The players have pushed all season to the four tournaments of grand slamespecially demanding that they invest more money from their multimillion-dollar earnings in their main protagonists, as the tennis players stressed. They want to have more weight in decision-making in addition to these events, in organizational or competitive aspects that affect them.

In order to have a valid and direct interlocutor with the Grand Slams, a Grand Slam Players Council has been created, made up of active tennis players like the Kazakh. Elena Rybakinathe Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka or the Serbian Novak Djokovic. Not among them, however, are the main artists of the moment, the Spanish Carlos Alcaraz and the Italian Jannik Sinner.

Although they make themselves heard in their public appearances. They have authority, their track record supports them. And in the case of Carlos Alcaraz He happens to be the tennis player considered most attractive to watch, by his own colleagues and fans.

The Murcian has won seven Grand Slam titles, at 23 years old. Still at 22, he became the youngest professional to have the ‘big four’ in his record: Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open.

Upon his arrival in Tokyo to defend the champion title in this ATP 500 tournament, Alcaraz entered the five-set debate, with the hypothesis of reducing the matches to the best of three. Some have advocated doing so in the initial rounds, such as Novak Djokovicothers extend the measure to the entire event. Others completely reject shortening the meetings.

Carlos Alcaraz It was forceful. “The beauty of Grand Slam tournaments is playing the best of five sets. If we eliminate this, we go on to compete in three sets, we are ending the legacy of the Grand Slams, we are ending the Grand Slams themselves,” he certified.

He has no doubt about it. “We have always played five sets in Grand Slams. From the beginning. And I think that is what makes these tournaments special. I wouldn’t touch anything,” he added.

It is equally clear that it would cut the tournament calendar. “It is without a doubt what I would change in tennis. Play less, not chain matches week after week,” he said. Alcaraz.

He had a bad time on the track in his second participation in Tokyo, but managed to beat the American Alex Michelsen7-6 (1), 4-6 and 6-1, and this Saturday he will face the Italian in the round of 16 Matteo Arnaldi.