ATP M1000 Madrid Open 2024 - R4: Alcaraz[2] v Struff[23]

[The Blond Blur]

Double mini break should do it

Hmmm

Well **** am I the new @Kralingen

 

[GodlessEndeavor]

When will people here learn to stop counting Struff out .

 

[Hitman]

Threading the needle....insane.

 

[nolefam_2024]

MP Alcaraz

 

[GabeT]

How many MPs do you need Carlos?

 

[tennisjedi]

Clutch lob from Alcaraz.

 

[Hitman]

6-4 Raz! LOL

 

[FeroBango]

Is this the new Alcaraz vs Kecmanovic?

 

[Hitman]

Alcaraz wins! Did it the hard way, how many MP did he blow?

Man that was tiring, Struff brought all that great form from Munich.

Carlos is ready. Lets have that final vs Sinner.

 

[GAS]

Routine win for Carlitos. Vamos!

 

[nolefam_2024]

Alcaraz wins! Did it the hard way, how many MP did he blow?

Man that was tiring, Struff brought all that great form from Munich.

Carlos is ready. Lets have that final vs Sinner.

4

 

[GabeT]

Just like Novak. Why do things the easy way when you can do them the hard way

 

[BeatlesFan]

What a match!!

 

[MeatTornado]

Well **** am I the new @Kralingen

You're off the hook

For now

 

[Kralingen]

Ugly match but still quite an entertaining one. Glad I watched.

 

[Pmasterfunk]

Pretty messy TB, but Carlos gets it done in the end.

 

[nolefam_2024]

I will consider this match as a great wakeup call. Alcaraz is not invincible. He can lose focus and hit some terrible shots. He is current RG favorite but not invincible.

 

[NYTennisfan]

Utterly bizarre. Alcaraz shanks a bunch of gimmies then 4 tough shots to seal it.

I feel for Struff, he battled like hell and has a great demeanor.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Ugly match but still quite an entertaining one. Glad I watched.

The same for Ronnie vs Bingham. Didn't get the free flowing breaks. We got many errors and many errors after that. But still entertaining. 4-4

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

Nevermind struff you ain’t the stuff. Especially in that rotten TB you played LOL

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

Alcaraz gonna get demolished by sinner if he plays like this

 

[RF-18]

Future BOAT does it.

 

[Tennisfan339]

Well, what a match that was!!!
Congratulations to both players, the level was incredible.
Still amazed how good Alcaraz can be in Madrid and how he struggles (until now) in every other clay big tournaments.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Future BOAT does it.

Can't be BOAT with current skillset.

 

[alexio]

struff mistake was to use again serve and volley on last point considerin the previous one was unsuccessful

 

[nolefam_2024]

struff mistake was to use again serve and volley on last point considerin the previous one was unsuccessful

Thats too much of TTW for today.

 

[GodlessEndeavor]

struff mistake was to use again serve and volley on last point considerin the previous one was unsuccessful

This is not how pros think.

 

[TheGoldenEra1990’s]

That’s the difference between top guys and middle of the road guys. The ranked 20 guys are deer in headlights when they have to come up with big time points

 

[jl809]

Can we talk about how bad Alcaraz’s dropper is when it’s bad? I really can’t decide how to judge the shot because it’s godly when it’s good but can think so many matches where his 50 IQ has him using it terribly

 

[RF-18]

Can't be BOAT with current skillset.

Injury free he will be in the GOAT debate. Nothing wrong with his skillset, he is a complete player.

 

[Rattie]

Phew! Good riddance to Struff.

 

[RF-18]

If Alcaraz wins his next match, he passes Nadal in longest winning streak at Madrid. Both are at 14.

 

[NoleFam]

Alcaraz survives but that was anything but convincing. Opponents seeing him chocking from 3 match points up will sense he's vulnerable.

 

[jl809]

That’s the difference too guys and middle of the road guys. The ranked 20 guys are deer in headlights when they have to come up with big time points

This is why I miss prime Thiem, felt like he was almost always better in TBs than the rest of the set

 

[nolefam_2024]

Injury free he will be in the GOAT debate. Nothing wrong with his skillset, he is a complete player.

He is great player and probably second greatest for his age. But his problem will be he is tinier than the rest of the giants.
You will be fighting physics.

 

[Rattie]

Alcaraz survives but that was anything but convincing. Opponents seeing him chocking from 3 match points up will sense he's vulnerable.

Of course he is, he hasn’t had it particularly easy in the last few months and yet he still gets over the line. When his confidence is fully intact, look out.

 

[GAS]

struff mistake was to use again serve and volley on last point considerin the previous one was unsuccessful

That's some advanced way of thinking there, tovarish.

 

[nolefam_2024]

This is why I miss prime Thiem, felt like he was almost always better in TBs than the rest of the set

Shocking. He was worse than Andy and Stan. Only year he was barely 60% is 2020 which is pandemic year and none of the players were prepared well.

 

[RF-18]

He is great player and probably second greatest for his age. But his problem will be he is tinier than the rest of the giants.
You will be fighting physics.

He makes up for it with his insane power.

 

[GAS]

Can we talk about how bad Alcaraz’s dropper is when it’s bad? I really can’t decide how to judge the shot because it’s godly when it’s good but can think so many matches where his 50 IQ has him using it terribly

Missed shot is bad? Winner is good? Looks like you know what you're talking about when mentioned 50 IQ...

 

[nolefam_2024]

He makes up for it with his insane power.

Which is why he will get injured too often.

 

[NoleFam]

Of course he is, he hasn’t had it particularly easy in the last few months and yet he still gets over the line. When his confidence is fully intact, look out.

He had it easy in his 1st matches here but that wasn't great from him at the end of that 3rd set. He barely escaped and if Struff had made that sitter at the net at 5 all break point, then...

 

[sortof]

How cruel this is. Mighty effort by the veteran player, in the end he would have needed to find a couple of aces to win this. Still, Struff, now ranked #40, can be more than happy about his season so far.

 

[GRASScaraz]

Sinner's drop shot is now better than Alcaraz's

 

[Rattie]

He had it easy in his 1st matches here but that wasn't great from him at the end of that 3rd set. He barely escaped and if Struff had made that sitter at the net at 5 all break point, then...

But he didn’t. Nerves play a part in matches like that, on both sides. Struff is coming off a clay title and he made last year’s final. Very confident. Carlos has been nursing an injury and missed out on two important tournaments, plus he’s defending a shed load of points, so the pressure is on him. A lot! The fact is he won a match he could easily have lost given all the circumstances.
I tend to see it differently

 

[Vincent-C]

Never seen someone pander to a crowd as much as Carlos. Just play dude.

Agreed. Does that make me a "hater"?

 

[norcal]

Started watching with Carlos up 4-2 in the 3rd - he looked pretty bad, is his arm still hurting?

 

[aldeayeah]

I only watched a few games, but man Carlos was spraying the FH. Near-Verdascian performance.

 

[Pheasant]

Alcaraz survived a major test today. Hopefully, he gains momentum from this match.

 

[NoleFam]

But he didn’t. Nerves play a part in matches like that, on both sides. Struff is coming off a clay title and he made last year’s final. Very confident. Carlos has been nursing an injury and missed out on two important tournaments, plus he’s defending a shed load of points, so the pressure is on him. A lot! The fact is he won a match he could easily have lost given all the circumstances.
I tend to see it differently

Struff played well, no doubt and is in good form. My criticism comes from him choking from 5-4 40-0 and making so many errors after that in that game. Opponents are licking that chops at that. It only gets more difficult from here and he needs to play better in the next round.