(VIDEO) Carlos Alcaraz fumes at quality of clay court amid third set collapse against Zverev in Roland Garros final
ATP
Carlos Alcaraz is one set away from losing the final of the 2024 French Open with Alexander Zverev coming from 5-2 down to win the third set 7-5. But amid the Spaniard's puzzling collapse may have been a reason as he vented to the umpire during the set.
Alcaraz told the umpire 'this is unbelievable' and likened the court to a hard court on Philippe Chatrier as he was on the verge of losing the set. This was due to the quality of the clay with not enough clay on the court making it harder to play on and making injuries more likely.
As Novak Djokovic soon found out during his win over Francisco Cerundolo. He unearthed his knee injury for the first time back in that tie. He said that he had felt it for some time before that, but that the conditions aggravated it as he dealt with a meniscus tear.
On social media though, many quipped that Zverev was playing on the same court and seemed to be thriving still. Whilst others said that he only makes the complaint when he is behind in the scoreline. But he soon adapted back to it in the next set as he went 4-0 up and looked to be heading back into the ascendancy.
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of TennisUpToDate.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces across the TennisUpToDate network, playing a central role in the daily operation and development of the site.
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