Iga Swiatek, 20, and Carlos Alcaraz, 18, drew packed crowds on way to titles in Miami to underline there’s life to the sport even after Big 3, Ashleigh Barty and Williams sisters.
Tennis is a sport that doesn’t allow one to revel in glory for long. For some, the calendar goes on for nearly 48 weeks in a year. Time to recharge batteries, to unwind, to relax is very little in the off-season. And there is even shorter duration to bask in success.
Just two months ago, Ashleigh Barty had ended Australia’s 44-year wait for a local women’s singles champion. A day later at Melbourne Park, Rafael Nadal staged a miraculous recovery to beat Daniil Medvedev for his 21st major.
Since then, Medvedev had briefly taken over as World No 1 before handing the spot back to Novak Djokovic. The Serb played in Dubai but was kept out of Indian Wells and Miami due to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Nadal reached the Indian Wells final but lost. Medvedev made the quarters in Miami. Now both are out of action for a lengthy period – the Spaniard suffering a stress fracture in his ribs and Medvedev underwent a hernia operation.
Most surprising development, however, has been Barty’s decision to retire. Out of absolute nowhere, the World No 1 announced she was going to focus on ‘other dreams’.
Tennis cavalry rolls on. And if Miami is an indication it is in good hands. Iga Swiatek became the youngest to do the “Sunshine Double” – winning both Indian Wells and Miami titles – and Carlos Alcaraz, at 18, the youngest champion in Florida.
Stats highlight Swiatek and Alcaraz’s jaw-dropping feats. Swiatek, 20, is only the fourth woman and 11th player to do the ‘Sunshine Double.’ She also became the first woman to win the first three WTA 1000 tournaments of the season (Doha, Indian Wells and Miami).
Alcaraz, who turns 19 next month, became the youngest Miami Open champion and the third youngest ATP Masters 1000 winner after his idol Rafael Nadal and Michael Chang. The Spaniard has now won all three ATP finals he’s played in – beating Richard Gasquet in Umag last year and Diego Schwartzman in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.
Their romp to glory under the Florida sunshine shouldn’t come as a surprise. Swiatek is now on 17 match winning streak, nine of them coming in straight sets, and Alcaraz is 16-1 since the Australian Open with his only defeat coming to Nadal at Indian Wells. And they played like the in-form players throughout the week.
Swiatek didn’t face a break point against Naomi Osaka and Petra Kvitova. She also didn’t get broken versus Coco Gauff. In the six matches, she was broken just five times. And in all five instances, the Pole broke right back.
Alcaraz was equally prolific even against higher ranked opponents. Through the course of the week, he beat World No 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, defending champion Hubert Hurkacz and No 8 Casper Ruud to take his win-loss record against top-10 players to 7-6.
A deserved World No 1 for Swiatek
Swiatek came into the limelight as a shy teenager at French Open in 2020. With ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ blaring in her ear, Swiatek didn’t drop a set on the way to her major title. Unfortunately it came with very few in attendance as she lifted the Suzanne Lenglen Cup.
With the Miami Open title, in a packed stadium, Swiatek got her glory moment in front of an audience. She was already confirmed to be the new highest ranked player on the women’s tour. Fact that it came with a title just makes it a whole lot sweeter. The thrashing she handed out in the final was the icing on the cake.
By beating hardcourt-specialist Osaka 6-4, 6-0 in the final, Swiatek once again underlined how brutal she is in decisive matches. In three of her last four finals, Swiatek has registered a bagel. She’s also won 12 of her 13 finals across ITF and WTA.
With Barbora Krejcikova injured and defending 2000 points later at French Open, Swiatek is seemingly here to stay at the top of the pyramid. And she deserves every bit of it.
Alcaraz – tipped for even bigger things
Alcaraz has been under the Rafael Nadal shadow despite being a very different player than his compatriot. Not that the 18-year-old minds. “I have always looked up to Rafa, I always watched his big moments and matches and learned a lot from that,” Alcaraz, who received a congratulatory call from Spain’s King Felipe VI, said.
“When I fell to the floor, all the times I have dreamed of this came to me,” added Alcaraz who moves to 11th in the world.
“The first of many to come I’m sure,” Nadal wrote on Twitter.
Alcaraz took a set off Nadal at Indian Wells in what could be a sign of things to come. His next target? A Grand Slam. In Miami he showed he has what it takes to go all the way.
The scary part about Alcaraz is the completeness of his game. The backhand, the forehand, the serve and physicality all are of high quality. To top that, Alcaraz reminds you of Rafa with his never-say-die attitude. Over the past few months, social media is rife with videos of Alcaraz fetching balls that are seemingly well out of reach.
“Definitely he’s playing insane for his age,” said Hurkacz after losing their semi-final clash. “It’s really incredible how he plays, how he competes. It’s something special the way he plays at this age. Really, he has amazing career in front of him. It’s crazy how good he plays.”
Moulded on clay in Alicante, on match point he hit a kick serve on the Ruud backhand, moved up to the net for a volley winner. Not something you would expect from a youngster who was playing his first Masters 1000 final. But Alcaraz has shown he’s no ordinary teenager.
Off court, in moments of camaraderie and bond with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, he dedicated wins to the former World No 1’s father who passed away in the week prior. Alcaraz went up to his team after the win and embraced Ferrero as the latter wept. On camera he signed, “Eduardo siempre con nosotros (Eduardo always with us)” referring to Ferrero’s father.
Last year, Miami was the first ATP and WTA combined tournament since the pandemic. Barty and Hurkacz reigned supreme in the absence of Serena Williams and ‘Big 3’ of Roger Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. That offered a glimpse of what tennis could look like when all four juggernauts retire. A year on, Barty is gone but tennis is still in good hands.
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