Beware the deft drop shot of tennis’ hottest new star!

Carlos Alcaraz struck 50 drop shots en route to winning the Miami Open presented by Itau recently, winning a staggering 70 per cent (35/50) of them. It was a stunning display of off-pace strategy that perfectly complemented the 18-year-old’s powerful groundstrokes that sizzled at times more than 100 mph through the Miami heat. As he embarks on the European clay-court season, expect him to continue his dual-threat tactic.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of Alcaraz’s 50 Miami drop shots identified that the Spaniard got off to a near-perfect start in his first four matches, winning 18 of his first 19 drop shots, including winning 16 in a row. The following breakdown uncovers his prowess with the drop shot against his six Miami opponents.

Alcaraz Drop Shots Per Match

• Rd 64 vs. Marton Fucsovics = won 3/4
• Rd 32 vs. Marin Cilic = won 5/5
• Rd 16 vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas = won 7/7
• QF vs. Miomir Kecmanovic = won 11/16
• SF vs. Hubert Hurkacz = won 5/7
• Final v Casper Ruud = won 4/11
• Total = won 35/50

Forehand vs. Backhand
Most players prefer their primary drop shot to come from the backhand wing, as they can hide the change of grip behind their back to disguise their intentions better. Alcaraz is a different animal. His preferred drop shot came from his forehand side in Miami, where he hit 30, winning an impressive 73% (22) of them. He hit 20 drop shots from his backhand, winning 65% (13/20).

The reason the Alcaraz forehand works so well as a drop shot is that it typically follows a crushing forehand groundstroke that pushes the opponent well back behind the baseline onto the back foot. The Spaniard then lines up for a repeat blow and cleverly changes to a drop shot at the last second with perfect disguise.

The opponent expects a rocket and instead finds themselves chasing a feather.

Alcaraz hit 18 clean drop shot winners in Miami, with 13 coming from his forehand side. He only made seven drop shot errors in the net, with five coming from a backhand and two from a forehand.

Serving vs. Receiving
Alcaraz was twice as likely to employ a stealthy drop shot when serving over receiving.

• Drop Shots When Serving = 34
• Drop Shots When Receiving = 16

Alcaraz won 74 per cent (25/34) when he hit a drop shot when serving and 63 per cent (10/16) when he hit a drop shot when returning. It appears the serve, just like the power forehand, provides a hidden “assist” for the success of the drop shot.

Big Moments
Alcaraz’s only three-set match was a 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-6(5) victory over Kecmanovic in the quarters. Alcaraz went to the drop shot 10 times in the deciding third set, winning six. He doubled down on the drop shot in the third set tie-break, winning three of four, including two forehand drop shots that were clean winners.

The only match where the drop shot proved ineffective was in the final against Ruud, where Alcaraz only won 36 per cent (4/11). It’s not a stretch to imagine Ruud was ready for it since Alcaraz had won an impressive 79 per cent (31/39) with drop shots in his first five matches.

Alcaraz’s thunderous groundstrokes always impress. Then you discover his dexterous ability to drop shot, especially in significant moments of a match. With Alcaraz, the threat of baseline power always puts a surprise drop shot squarely on the table.

Tommy Robredo has brought an end to one of the longest careers on the ATP Tour. The Spaniard, who will be 40 in May, leaves behind a glittering career in which he picked up 12 ATP Tour titles, reached No. 5 in the ATP Rankings and played in the Nitto ATP Finals. On Monday, he hung up his racquet after 23 seasons competing at the top.

Robredo did so at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, the same place where he claimed his first ATP Tour win at 16 years of age over Italian Davide Sanguinetti. Since then, he has played 891 tour-level matches, winning 533, putting him sixth on the all-time Spanish winners’ list.

Most Tour-Level Wins Among Spaniards

“I dreamt of being a tennis player and I managed to get very good in the world of tennis, with big titles and achievements. I’m very happy that people have been able to enjoy it, but above all that I’ve done what every child dreams of, being a professional,” Robredo told ATPTour.com.

The player born in Hostalric in 1982 was 18 years old when he reached his first ATP Tour final in Casablanca, where he defeated Olivier Malcor, Jiri Vanek, Germán Puentes and Younes El Aynaoui to reach the championship match, where he fell against Guillermo Cañas. However, that run helped him climb into the world’s Top 100. At 19, Robredo lifted his first trophy in Sopot.

These would just be the first of many memorable moments in his career. In 2004, he enjoyed what was probably one of his finest moments. At the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, which is held at his home club — the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 — he won his second ATP Tour title.

En route to the trophy, he saw off Karol Beck, Fernando Verdasco, Fernando González, Kristof Vliegen and Gastón Gaudio in an epic final that went to five sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

“The title at the Trofeo Conde de Godó in 2004 was spectacular,” Robredo said, before recalling another series of unforgettable chapters of his journey on the ATP Tour. “On top of that title in Barcelona, there are other moments that I had [at the ATP Masters 1000] in Paris-Bercy in 2006, when I qualified for the Masters [Nitto ATP Finals]. Also the title [at the ATP Masters 1000] in Hamburg.”

2006 was a standout year. Robredo played 78 matches, with a record of 49-29, and at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris (l. to Nikolay Davydenko in SF) he qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals. A few months earlier, he had claimed his first Masters 1000 title in Hamburg, where he beat Jiri Novak, Florent Serra, Paul-Henri Mathieu, David Ferrer, Mario Ancic and Radek Stepanek.

In April he lost his second final in Barcelona to an emerging talent named Rafael Nadal. He also earned another title in Bastad. All of these results catapulted him to his career high of No. 5 in the ATP Rankings on 28 August 2006.

His season was capped off in November, when he was among the year’s top eight players at the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai. Although he failed to get through the group stages, he left with a victory against James Blake.

“I also have other great memories like the US Open match against [Juan Carlos] Ferrero that I won in the fifth-set tiebreak and beating Roger Federer [at the 2013 US Open) and Novak Djokovic [in Cincinnati in 2014],” the Catalonian said.

However, it is not only the victories he has fond memories of. “There were other unforgettable titles, but one of my favourite moments was the defeat to Andy Murray in the final in Valencia. It was a spectacular match. There were many really wonderful moments,” Robredo said.

In 2007, he earned himself two more titles in Sopot and Metz, while in 2008 he reclaimed the Bastad title. 2009 saw him produce a fantastic South American swing, with trophies in Costa do Sauipe and Buenos Aires, while he also took the spoils in Santiago in 2011. And in 2013 he enjoyed something of a second youth with titles in Casablanca and Umag.

^{Robredo won his final ATP Tour title in Umag in 2013. Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images.}
At 31 years of age he earned himself the nickname of ‘Marathon Man’ at Roland Garros. “I still get goosebumps when I think about the French fans on their feet,” Robredo admitted.

In Paris he produced three straight comebacks from two sets down, rallying past Igor Sijsling in the second round, Gael Monfils in the third round and Nicolas Almagro in the fourth round.

“The entire journey has been really wonderful,” Robredo said. “I love tennis and being able to enjoy this world and being part of it is really wonderful. I have always had moments throughout these years that are more memorable because of a title or a special victory, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t moments when I didn’t win that weren’t also spectacular. I’m happy with my whole career, and with all the years I was able to be there.”

Now after losing against Bernabe Zapata Miralles at his home tournament, where he started his journey in 1999, is time for Robredo to stand aside.

“There was no better place than here to retire,” Robredo said. “The time has come. Last year I still wasn’t ready, I thought I could play a bit more, but I didn’t like playing without fans, so I was much more excited to say goodbye this year the way I wanted to.”

#NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti maintained his strong start to the clay-court season Monday, moving past Argentine Sebastian Baez 7-5, 7-5 to reach the second round at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell.

In a meeting between two 2021 Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals competitors, Musetti came out on top as he produced high-quality ball-striking to advance after one hour and 51 minutes. The 20-year-old has now improved to 5-2 on the season on clay, having upset World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime en route to the third round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters last week.

“He played well. I was playing every point at 100 per cent and there were a lot of rallies,” Musetti said. “He is a good fighter and it was not easy to close out the match. But I am in the second round and I am really happy.”

Musetti, who advanced to the second round on debut in Barcelona last season, will next face 12th seed Daniel Evans. Musetti won their only meeting in Cagliari in three sets in 2021.

“It was a really spicy match. A really tough match, especially at the end,” Musetti said when reflecting on his previous clash with Evans. “Tomorrow I am ready to do battle again and let’s see what I can do.”

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Fellow #NextGenATP star Brandon Nakashima also advanced, dispatching Spanish qualifier Nicolas Alvarez Varona 7-6(6), 6-3 to set up a second-round meeting with second seed Casper Ruud.

The American saved two set points in the first set before powering to victory in one hour and 49 minutes. Nakashima reached the last eight at the Sydney Tennis Classic in January and was playing his first match on clay this season against Alvarez Varona.

Spaniard Tommy Robredo competed for the final time Monday after he lost to Bernabe Zapata Miralles 6-1, 6-1. The former World No. 5, who lifted the title in Barcelona in 2004, announced he would retire after playing in Barcelona this week.

Robredo won 12 ATP Tour titles, including one ATP Masters 1000 crown in Hamburg in 2006.

Spanish wild card Jaume Munar moved past Italian Gian Marco Moroni 6-2, 6-4, while Soonwoo Kwon defeated Frenchman Benoit Paire 6-4, 6-4. Munar next plays Nikoloz Basilashvili, with Kwon taking on Miami titlist Carlos Alcaraz.

In other action, Swede Elias Ymer defeated American Maxime Cressy 6-3, 6-0 in 50 minutes and Argentine Federico Coria downed Marcos Giron 6-2, 3-6, 6-1.

At his best, Cristian Garin is one of the best clay-court players on the ATP Tour, but Holger Rune dominated the Chilean on Monday.

The #NextGenATP star from Denmark eliminated the fifth seed 6-3, 6-1 in one hour and 25 minutes to reach the second round of the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The 18-year-old will next play home favourite Dusan Lajovic or Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel.

The victory continued a hot streak for Rune, who earlier this month won the Sanremo Challenger and qualified for the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, where he upset Aslan Karatsev in the first round.

Rune put constant pressure on Garin, earning 17 break points and converting six of them. The teen, who is at a career-high No. 72 in the ATP Rankings, won 58 per cent of his return points on his Belgrade debut.

In other action, Slovenian Aljaz Bedene clawed past Kazakhstan’s Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-3 after two hours and 38 minutes. The World No. 164 will play sixth seed Fabio Fognini or Marco Cecchinato for a place in the quarter-finals.

Did You Know?
Entering their clash on Monday, Garin had the same number of clay-court ATP Tour titles (5) as Rune had tour-level match wins on the surface.

No. 27 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina +19 (Career High)
The Spaniard has risen into the Top 30 in the ATP Rankings following his dream run to the final at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters. The 22-year-old earned standout wins against World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and Indian Wells champ Taylor Fritz as he advanced to his maiden tour-level championship match. However, he could not overcome Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final, with the Greek retaining his crown. Read Monte Carlo Final Report & Watch Highlights.

View Latest ATP Rankings

No. 23 Grigor Dimitrov +6
The 30-year-old produced some of his best tennis at the clay-court event in Monte Carlo as he upset seeded pair Casper Ruud and Hubert Hurkacz to reach his second semi-final in the Principality (2018). The Bulgarian has now been beyond the quarter-final stage at three of the past four ATP Masters 1000 events.

No. 68 Lorenzo Musetti, +15
#NextGenATP Italian Musetti earned the biggest win of his season when he downed World No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round in Monte Carlo. The 20-year-old produced a high quality display full of winners off both wings to stun the Rotterdam winner. It was the third time Musetti had advanced to the third round at a Masters 1000 tournament, after reaching that stage in Rome in 2020 and Miami in 2021.

Other Notable Top 100 Movers
No. 15 Diego Schwartzman +1
No. 32 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, +5
No. 33 Alexander Bublik, +3
No. 37 Sebastian Korda, +5 (Career High)
No. 50 Laslo Djere, +12
No. 60 Sebastian Baez, +6
No. 72 Holger Rune, +7 (Career High)

This week on the ATP Tennis Podcast, presented by Seb Lauzier…

STEFANOS TSITSIPAS MONTE CARLO WINNER’S INTERVIEW: ‘I’m very proud of myself. Things didn’t seem to be going well at one point but I managed to keep well composed and kept believing that I could finish it off. I’m really proud of the belief I put into my game. Sometimes you doubt yourself but it’s important to keep your head high and do the best you can.’

GRIGOR DIMITROV ON HIS BACKHAND SLICE: ’Slice is a volatile shot and it’s one of the first shots I actually learned, I think it’s the first shot my dad taught me and I think especially for one-handers it’s vital. Against any opponent, if you’re able to find the right way of using it and putting the ball in the right spot, it really gives you an advantage to look at the right shot.’

CRAIG BOYNTON ON PLAYERS TRANSITIONING TO CLAY: ‘It would be like running on wood and now you have to skate. It usually takes a couple of weeks for most to feel comfortable and not even having to think about movement, just more in strategy and you’ll see this as the clay court season progresses.’

JANNIK SINNER ON HIS WITHDRAWAL IN INDIAN WELLS DUE TO BLISTERS: ‘Well it’s the most frustrating thing, because the worst thing for me is to lose without competing. We try to find solutions in the best possible way so it’s not going to happen anymore, but I’m happy right now that I don’t feel anything, the body is good, the body is safe and let’s see in the next couple of months if something happens and if not, we have to change.’

STAN WAWRINKA ON HIS GOALS FOR THE SEASON: ‘I don’t have right now the goal for the end of my career because I’m far away from the level I want to be. I still need a few weeks and months to be feeling good on the court and I think by the end of the year I will know what I want to achieve or what I want to try to achieve before the end of my career.’

JUAN CARLOS FERRERO ON ALCARAZ’S DEVELOPMENT: ‘He’s growing up match-by-match, but of course he’s surprising me week-by-week because after very important things happen to him and this level that he’s doing, he’s handling very good and it seems like everything is normal to him and he tries to do things as normal as he can, but life is changing for him and then team, but the good thing is that I have a lot of experience of that.’

FEATURE ON DOUBLES FROM THE WORLD TENNIS CONFERENCE: Contributions from Jeff Coetzee, Wayne Bryan, Louis Cayer, Craig O’Shannessy, Rohan Bopanna, Joe Salisbury, Jamie Murray and Luke Jensen

Tommy, when you’re on court make sure you think about this.
About what, Sir?
If you make it through qualifying, I’ll give you a pass.
Seriously?
Just remember me.
Okay!

It was April 1999 and Tommy Robredo was one of many teenage talents around the world dreaming of making it as a professional tennis player. He was just 16 years old, but the organisers of the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell had granted him an invitation to play in qualifying at the outdoor clay-court event.

Like any player of his age, Robredo still had to juggle tennis with academic classes at the High Performance Centre in Sant Cugat del Valles where he trained. It was there that he found an unexpected source of support for his tennis in the form of Emili Luque.

Luque was Robredo’s economics teacher and was quick to strike a deal with the young man before his ATP Tour debut. “He told me that I was a fine young man, that I was smart, but I was never in class,” Robredo told ATPTour.com before playing the final tournament of a 23-year career in Barcelona this week.

Before stepping on court at the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona-1899 on Saturday 10 April, Robredo bumped into Luque, who promised him a pass in economics if he got through qualifying. In the first round, Robredo defeated Jordi Mas 7-5, 6-3. One voice could be heard above the rest in the stands, shouting “Vamos, Tommy!” It was Luque.

Robredo listened to his mentor. So well, in fact, that he next defeated Ivan Ljubicic 7-5, 1-6, 6-2 to stamp his ticket to the main draw. On Monday, before his main-draw debut on the ATP Tour, he had to go to school. That didn’t stop him defeating Italian Davide Sanguinetti 7-6(3), 6-1 in one hour and 20 minutes.

Tommy, do you have tickets for this afternoon?
Yes, I’ll give you one so you can come and watch me.
If you win today, I’ll give you a 7.
Wow! A 7?!
Yup.
Deal.

In one hour and 20 minutes, Robredo left the Italian Davide Sanguinetti for dust, 7-6(3), 6-1. He had claimed his first ATP Tour victory and also bagged himself a 7 in economics. The next day, when he had to go back to class, his teacher couldn’t have been prouder. “He was bowing to me in the hallways,” remembers the Spaniard. “In the second round I met Marat Safin and he spoke to me again.”

Tommy, if you beat Safin, I’ll give you a 10.
A 10?
Yes, a distinction.
Okay!

Safin, who would go on to reach No. 1 in the ATP Rankings just a year later, stormed to the first set 6-1 as the young Robredo looked set to fail to deliver on the deal with his teacher. The youngster produced a stunning turnaround, however, completing a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 upset to reach the third round of the tournament also known as the ‘Trofeo Conde de Godó’.

“It was on Court 1, which is really intimate, and it fills up quickly,” said Robredo. “My friends were there making noise in the stands. But I remember, especially at 5-4 in the third set, my mother, who was with my aunt and was shouting non-stop, fainted from the stress. Everyone tried to hide her from me, and I was so focused that [even though] I realised [I] carried on with the match.”

Spurred on, he returned to the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona-1899 to face Todd Martin in the third round. This time he had no tickets for Luque.

Mili, I’m really sorry.
Why, Tommy?
I don’t have any tickets to give you this time.
Don’t worry.
I’m sorry, I’ve had too many requests for them.
Don’t worry, I have to take a class anyway.

Yet as the Catalonian took to the court against the American World No. 8, he heard a familiar voice from the crowd: “Vamos, Tommy!” Robredo did not need to turn around to see who it was. His teacher was there to cheer him on yet again. This time though, his adventure came to an end with a 3-6, 6-7(6) defeat.

The following Monday, when Robredo returned to the classroom, Luque had a small secret to share with him. “He pulled me aside and said, ‘Don’t tell anyone, but I came to school, told them I had gout and I went to Godó,’” said Robredo. “He had spoken to the door staff who knew he was my teacher and they had let him in.”

Years later, Robredo and Luque met again. “I signed up to the UOC (Open University of Catalonia) for a course for over-25s and there was a maths class, so I called him for some help,” said the 12-time tour-level titlist. “Even though he was no longer a teacher at the centre, he would come and give me lessons on the board”.