Alcaraz just can’t lose! Wimbledon champion still smiling at Hopman Cup, in first match after Grand Slam glory

Carlos Alcaraz never tires of repeating: the pleasure of playing and the smile on the court come first. His Wimbledon title will certainly not change that. It was with a huge grin that the Spaniard appeared for a “pool interview” (similar to a mixed zone) this Friday morning at around 10.45am in front of some 20 journalists. It marked his debut in the Hopman Cup with Spain against Belgium.

After arriving in Nice the day before, the 20-year-old was enjoying his first day back in tennis after his triumph in SW19 – the greatest victory of his career. Eight minutes into the conversation, he reiterated the extent to which he had not yet realised the significance of his London success, which he had celebrated quietly, and that he was delighted to be in Nice, where he would be doing his best to do well at the Hopman Cup with compatriot Rebeka Masarova.

“My main objective at the end of the year is above all the US Open,” said the man who hasn’t touched a racquet since his forehand winner at 5-4, 40-30 in Sunday’s fifth set.

After completing all his media obligations and signing a few photos, the two-time Grand Slam winner made his way to Centre Court to re-establish his relationship with his racquet. After some physical exercises, Alcaraz hit the ball with Jonathan Eysseric, the Spaniard’s sparring partner for a few exchanges, and showed himself to be very sharp on his favourite surface.

He hadn’t played on clay since losing to Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals. Once his training session was over, he returned to his hotel on the Promenade des Anglais, had lunch before warming up for his opening match against David Goffin, scheduled for 6pm. After his first Grand Slam title in 2022 at the US Open, Alcaraz had already faced the Belgian in his return tournament (not counting the Davis Cup) in Nur Sultan. He lost.

Tight security and plenty of fans

At around 6.15pm, Alcaraz made his return to the Nice Lawn Tennis Centre. If the crowd had been impressive over the first two days, the one surrounding the Spaniard was a notch higher. Barriers were even installed between the entrance to the site and the access to Centre Court to welcome the Spanish prodigy.

“It’s a bit more disproportionate in terms of security, but it’s the Wimbledon winner and the world No 1. We wanted to do things right,” insisted Philippe Weiss, tournament operations director. And there was some disappointment when Alcaraz finally appeared on the main court: the children desperately waiting for an autograph on their big yellow ball didn’t get what they wanted.

While the Centre Court was 73% full on Thursday (with a capacity of 4,000), it easily exceeded 80% on Friday. A few Spanish flags were visible in the stands, but far fewer than those of the Danes on the previous two days.

Alcaraz battles back from brink of defeat

Just five days after his triumph in London, the kid from El Pamar wasn’t expecting much from this outing in Nice. However, his opening match against David Goffin, won in three sets (4-6, 6-4, 10-8), confirmed an increasingly systematic reality: Alcaraz refuses to lose. The Spaniard got off to a bad start in this match, trailing by a set and then 4-0 in the decisive super tiebreak, but came through as he often does.

History will record that his point after the winning match point against Novak Djokovic was a double fault. Although the sporting stakes are virtually nil at the Hopman Cup, “Carlitos” appeared determined, focused, annoyed at times and also very expressive with his team, which is without Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Alcaraz sealed a score that wasn’t always in tune, with some big forehand errors and questionable success on his drop shot attempts. Trailing 4-3 with a break to spare in the second set, he raised his game and showed just how far apart the two players are when he decides to do that. With three games in a row, the Spaniard won the second set to set up a decisive super tiebreak in which he was often behind (4-0 then 8-7) before giving in to the Belgian.

“It’s a pleasure to play in Nice, I’ve never been here before. I tried to offer you some great tennis. I’m delighted to be back on clay, I love this surface,” said the day’s winner to tournament announcer Marc Maury. In singles, Carlos Alcaraz is on an 18-match winning streak – if you ignore that defeat at Roland-Garros.

A first in mixed doubles

“We’re not used to playing with a woman, you know, in mixed doubles, in a mixed tournament,” Carlos Alcaraz was almost impatient in front of the media on Friday morning. For the first time in his career, the Spaniard began a match with a partner. At around 9.30pm, he and Rebeka Masarova took to the court in front of a smaller but still enthusiastic crowd.

The Spaniard was unable to prevent defeat by Belgium (after his partner’s singles loss to Elise Mertens). The two compatriots lost in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) and will have to beat Croatia on Saturday to have any hope of playing in the final the following day.

Spain’s last Hopman Cup victory came in 2012 with the Verdasco/Medina pair. When Carlos Alcaraz goes to bed on Friday night, he probably won’t be thinking about final victory on Sunday, but his hatred of defeat could help his country go all the way, especially in a competition where entertainment and leisure are paramount. The Spaniard and his eternal smile know all about that.

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