Sputnik Bulgorov
Professional
By this point, Alcaraz has been a top player for 3 years and we should know enough to expect the unexpected. He’s a streaky player who reaches great heights for a few months and then crashes down for a few months with a high standard deviation in level of play.
In 2022, he comes into RG with massive expectations after a huge Madrid win beating Djokovic and Nadal back to back, only to struggle from the get go and get beaten convincingly by Zverev. Then, he gets beaten convincingly in Wimbledon by Sinner. Expectations are low coming into USO, but he wins 3 consecutive 5 setters to claim the title, and then disappears the rest of the year.
In 2023 he skips the AO but starts his season red hot winning 4 titles including IW and Madrid. He heads into the RG SF as the favorite, but underperforms massively as nerve-induced cramps lead to breadsticks in the 3rd and 4th sets. Heads into grass season with low expectations, but then wins Queens and Wimbledon back to back, beating the man who hasn’t lost on Center court in 10 years in the final. Leaves grass season as the favorite for YE#1, but then disappears again highlighted by a crushing loss to Djokovic in Cincinnati and straightforward losses to Medvedev in the USO, Sinner in Beijing and Djokovic again in WTF.
Now its 2024, and Alcaraz is in the middle of a slump. He doesn’t have the red hot start he did in 2024 and it’s Sinner taking the spotlight with an AO win. Alcaraz wins IW out of nowhere, beating Sinner in the process, but then injures himself and gets taken out of action in RG. Expectations are low in RG with all eyes on Sinner and Zverev, but Alcaraz ends up beating them back to back to claim the title. Loses early in Queens, but wins Wimbledon in dominant fashion, obliterating Djokovic in the final despite blowing a 40-0 lead serving for the match. Now after another heartbreaking loss to Djokovic in the Olympics? Alcaraz had lost 2 of his past 4 matches and is in another down period.
Does it really mean anything? This is just Alcaraz being Alcaraz. He craps the bed when we expect him to do well and surprises everyone when expectations are low. Unless he finds consistency, he won’t be a dominant number 1, but it’s a lot of fun to follow the highs and lows where he subverts expectations for better or for worse.
In 2022, he comes into RG with massive expectations after a huge Madrid win beating Djokovic and Nadal back to back, only to struggle from the get go and get beaten convincingly by Zverev. Then, he gets beaten convincingly in Wimbledon by Sinner. Expectations are low coming into USO, but he wins 3 consecutive 5 setters to claim the title, and then disappears the rest of the year.
In 2023 he skips the AO but starts his season red hot winning 4 titles including IW and Madrid. He heads into the RG SF as the favorite, but underperforms massively as nerve-induced cramps lead to breadsticks in the 3rd and 4th sets. Heads into grass season with low expectations, but then wins Queens and Wimbledon back to back, beating the man who hasn’t lost on Center court in 10 years in the final. Leaves grass season as the favorite for YE#1, but then disappears again highlighted by a crushing loss to Djokovic in Cincinnati and straightforward losses to Medvedev in the USO, Sinner in Beijing and Djokovic again in WTF.
Now its 2024, and Alcaraz is in the middle of a slump. He doesn’t have the red hot start he did in 2024 and it’s Sinner taking the spotlight with an AO win. Alcaraz wins IW out of nowhere, beating Sinner in the process, but then injures himself and gets taken out of action in RG. Expectations are low in RG with all eyes on Sinner and Zverev, but Alcaraz ends up beating them back to back to claim the title. Loses early in Queens, but wins Wimbledon in dominant fashion, obliterating Djokovic in the final despite blowing a 40-0 lead serving for the match. Now after another heartbreaking loss to Djokovic in the Olympics? Alcaraz had lost 2 of his past 4 matches and is in another down period.
Does it really mean anything? This is just Alcaraz being Alcaraz. He craps the bed when we expect him to do well and surprises everyone when expectations are low. Unless he finds consistency, he won’t be a dominant number 1, but it’s a lot of fun to follow the highs and lows where he subverts expectations for better or for worse.