Carlos Alcaraz 'Best In the World' On Clay Courts According To Rival Holger Rune
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Carlos Alcaraz is "the best player in the world" on clay courts, according to his young rival Holger Rune.
Alcaraz is one of the players who can play well on all surfaces. For example, his compatriot, Rafael Nadal, thrived on the clay courts, while he didn't win as many trophies on other surfaces.
That is not the case for Alcaraz, who is already a US Open, Wimbledon, and Roland Garros champion, all of that at the age of 21. He can play well on every surface, and despite his Spanish roots suggesting that he might thrive on clay the most, Alcaraz previously said that he probably likes the hard courts the most.
However, he changed that narrative after his second-round win at the Monte-Carlo Masters this year. Alcaraz beat Francisco Cerundolo, and during his on-court interview, he said that right now, he would probably put clay as his favorite surface.
After the match, the 21-year-old Spaniard was asked why his priorities had changed, and he explained what he missed about the clay courts. Alcaraz stated that he missed the long rallies, which he really enjoys, especially because he is not the best server.
"I think the tough battles, and as I say the serve is not as important probably as on hard court, so I think that's pretty good for me. I think we're playing almost every point, so we can’t make a lot of points or free points with the serve, so that makes you develop the point even more than probably other surfaces."
"Yeah, long rallies... Get the socks dirty a little bit. You know, that's what I missed, to watch good tennis. I think on clay you can watch the real tennis, because as I said, it's not only watching big serves or whatever, or points, you know, and just one or two shots. On clay, you see long rallies. For example, yesterday, a 48-shot rally. That's what I like, watching tennis and playing here on clay."
It's clear that Alcaraz is confident after returning to the red dirt, and one of his young rivals, Holger Rune, wouldn't disagree. Speaking at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo, the young Dane was asked about who the best player on clay is at the moment.
In the past two decades, the answer to that question was very easy, but after Rafael Nadal's retirement, there are more options. For Rune, however, it's clear that Alcaraz is the best player on clay.
"I think the toughest one [on clay] might be Alcaraz. Let’s see how his form is beginning of the clay season, but he’s a guy when he hits his best level, I think he’s possibly the best in the world. I think he can definitely bring a big challenge."
"The last years he was injured and stuff here, so he hasn’t gotten the experience like other players here, but I’m sure he will eventually."
