Carlos Alcaraz is only 19 years old, but he has become one of the most recognisable faces in the Region of Murcia. Even more so in his birth town, El Palmar. After winning his second ATP Masters 1000 title at the Mutua Madrid Open last Sunday, he returned home to a rapturous welcome.

The affection for the new No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in his hometown is mutually reciprocated. In the Manolo Santana Stadium, a few seconds after defeating Alexander Zverev in the Madrid final, he wrote a special dedication to it on a TV camera: “Viva El Palmar! Viva Murcia!”.

Bienvenido a casa @alcarazcarlos03 pic.twitter.com/8fzdTtRb7i

— Deportes en La 7 TV (@la7deportes) May 9, 2022

In this video shared on social media by 7 TV [public television in the Region of Murcia], the five-time tour-level titlist’s reaction when he greets his people can be seen. Without hesitation, he went out onto the balcony of his family home to show them the trophy and thank his lifetime neighbours for their support.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”, he mouthed, before flashing his customary grin beside his smiling parents. Such is the excitement surrounding a young man who is a prophet in his own land and beyond.

Novak Djokovic moved to within one win of retaining his World No. 1 status Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, overcoming Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-2 in chapter 26 of their long-running rivalry.

The Serbian, who must reach the semi-finals to stop Daniil Medvedev from climbing to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings Monday, soaked up Wawrinka’s heavy ball-striking and pulled the former World No. 3 around to advance to the quarter-finals after 75 minutes.

Djokovic now leads Wawrinka 20-6 in their ATP Head2Head series, with their meeting in Rome their first since the Swiss star defeated the top seed at the US Open in 2019.

“It is great to see Stan back and winning. He won two tough matches. You can see he is still not physically where he wants to be. But nevertheless he is Stan Wawrinka and he can hurt you if you give him time,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “I managed to do well from the beginning. I really moved him around the court and held my serve comfortably except for that loss of my serve in the second set.”

The 34-year-old will compete in his 89th ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final on Friday against Felix Auger-Aliassime after the eighth-seeded Canadian defeated American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-2.

“I have known Felix for quite a few years,” Djokovic said. “He is established, a Top 10 player, so is right up there. He is as hard worker on the Tour that you see and he is a nice guy. His all-around game is improving. He is improving on clay. I know his game and what is expected.”

The World No. 1 has been building momentum over the past month following his second-round exit in Monte Carlo. The 86-time tour-level titlist enjoyed a run to the final in Belgrade before he reached the semi-finals at the Mutua Madrid Open last week.

Djokovic is trying to capture a record-extending 38th Masters 1000 crown in the Italian capital, where he is a five-time champion. His first title in Rome came in 2008, when he beat Wawrinka in the championship match.

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In front of a packed crowd on centre court, it was Djokovic who made the faster start as he quickly found his range on return to break immediately. The Serbian hugged the baseline throughout the set and successfully outmanoeuvred Wawrinka through a combination of precise groundstrokes and drop shots to lead after 31 minutes.

With his foot on the pedal, Djokovic continued to demonstrate great feel and power in the second set to frustrate Wawarinka. The 34-year-old returned aggressively as he read the Wawrinka serve well throughout, breaking three times in the second set to triumph.

Wawrinka earned his first tour-level win in 15 months when he defeated Reilly Opelka in his opening match in Rome, before he edged Laslo Djere to set up a meeting with Djokovic.

The 37-year-old, who was sidelined last season due to a foot injury, was aiming to reach his fourth quarter-final in Rome.

Did You Know?
Djokovic has reached at least the quarter-finals in all 16 of his appearances in Rome.

Stefanos Tsitsipas recovered from a slow start Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia as he raised his level and intensity to overcome Karen Khachanov 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 and reach the quarter-finals in Rome.

After losing the first set, the Greek won nine consecutive games as he turned the match around on Grand Stand Arena by finding more first serves and hitting his groundstrokes with greater consistency.

“It was a great, great match. I really upgraded my game in the second set,” Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. “I was really able to follow through after every shot. I loosened up a little bit and concentrated on depth a little bit more.

“I hit great serves towards the end of the third set. I was able to stay calm on each serve and I was not rushing. I tried to visualise my patterns and it was a great last game.”

The fourth seed, who saved two match points against Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match, made just 52 per cent of his first serves in the opening set. However, he improved to 70 per cent in the second set and then 100 per cent in the decider, allowing him to dictate rallies and advance after one hour and 51 minutes.

“It hasn’t been easy the past two matches, but as long as I find my way, that is what matters the most,” Tsitsipas added.

With victory, Tsitsipas has improved his perfect ATP Head2Head series record against Khachanov to 5-0. The Greek has now climbed above Rafael Nadal to No. 4 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings and will next play Italian Jannik Sinner or Filip Krajinovic in what will be his third quarter-final appearance in the Italian capital.

The 23-year-old is aiming to win his second title of the season in Rome, after he retained his trophy in Monte Carlo. Tsitsipas holds an 11-2 record in clay in 2022, having reached the semi-finals in Madrid last week.

Khachanov was seeking his maiden Top 10 win and first ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final since he advanced to the last eight in Montreal in 2019.

Did You Know?
Tsitsipas has earned a tour-leading 29 victories this season, one more than second-placed Carlos Alcaraz (28).

Jannik Sinner secured his best Rome result in his fourth appearance at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia with a battling win over Filip Krajinovic on Thursday. The Italian was cruising toward a straightforward victory, up a set and a break on Centre Court, but was made to work for a 6-2, 7-6(6) result to advance to his first quarter-final at the ATP Masters 1000 event.

Krajinovic was firmly on top in the second set after falling behind 0-2, but could not find a second break to complement his three love holds in the stanza. In the tie-break, Sinner surrendered a 4/1 lead but escaped in straight sets on his second match point.

The Italian advanced to his fourth Masters 1000 quarter-final, a stage he’s twice reached at the Grand Slam level at Roland Garros in 2020 and this season at the Australian Open. His Rome run secured his fifth tour-level quarter-final of the season. If Sinner is to get beyond that stage for the first time this year, he’ll have to knock off Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday after the Greek downed Karen Khachanov, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3.

Sinner dominated the opening set against Krajinovic, who was seeking his third Masters 1000 quarter-final, but the 10th seed’s struggles on first serve left the door open for Krajinovic in the second. The Serbian grew into the match after his first break and threatened throughout the second stanza with consistent, deep groundstrokes.

With the help of the Italian crowd, Sinner held on to force a tie-break without facing another break point, then capitalised on some untimely errors from the Serbian to advance in straights despite a sub-50 per cent first serve percentage in the set.

His quarter-final matchup against Tsitsipas will be the pair’s fifth ATP Head2Head meeting, with the Greek leading 3-1. They split second-round meetings in Rome in 2019 and 2020 before Tsitsipas dominated their more recent matchups in Barcelona last season and at the Aussie Open earlier this year.

After Sinner moved up to No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings with his Rome run, he can rise to No. 11 by reaching the semis and as high as No. 7 with the title.

On Pietrangeli, fifth seed Casper Ruud came through his first encounter with rising American Jenson Brooksby. The 2020 Rome semi-finalist is into his eighth Masters 1000 quarter-final after an entertaining 6-3, 6-4 victory.

The 21-year-old Brooksby, making his Rome debut, earned his first tour-level clay-court wins this week to reach the last 16 but fell short of what would have been his second-best win by the Pepperstone ATP Rankings against the Norwegian World No. 10. 

Ruud won the opening set on his fourth set point, saving two break points as he served it out. He did not face a break point in the second despite being pushed to 30/30 on three occasions. In the face of Brooksby’s unique shotmaking, the 23-year-old was able to control enough of the rallies to escape unscathed in one hour and 36 minutes. Ruud hit five aces and won 86 per cent (36/42) of his first-serve points in the contest.

Seeking his second title of the season after a Buenos Aires triumph in February, he now awaits the winner of the Centre Court evening matchup between defending champion Rafael Nadal and Denis Shapovalov.

Ruud is rounding back into form after 4-4 start to the European clay swing prior to Rome, which included a 1-2 mark at the Masters 1000s in Monte Carlo and Madrid. He reached the semi-finals at both those events last season, compiling 11 clay victories leading into Rome, though he did not compete in the Italian capital.

Alexander Zverev earned his 100th ATP Masters 1000 win Thursday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, moving past Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3 7-6(5) to reach the quarter-finals in Rome.

The German, who arrived in the Italian capital off the back of a run to the final at the Mutua Madrid Open, won 76 per cent (31/41) of his first-serve points and recovered from squandering a break advantage in the second set to eventually triumph after one hour and 50 minutes.

“My performance was better than yesterday. I managed to keep my focus,” Zverev said. “Alex is a great player and he is a great returner, so losing your serve here and there can happen. I need to work on serving out a little more. I tried to stay aggressive. I had to hit my shots quite hard against Alex and it worked out well today.”

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The World No. 3 is still aiming to capture his first title of the season, but has now won six of his past seven matches and will aim to improve that record when he plays Chilean Cristian Garin or Croatian Marin Cilic in the last eight. It is the fifth time Zverev has advanced to the quarter-finals at a tour-level event in 2022.

The five-time Masters 1000 champion is making his sixth appearance in the Italian Capital, with his best result at the clay-court tournament a run to the title in 2017.

With his victory, Zverev now leads de Minaur 6-1 in their ATP Head2Head series, with this their first meeting on clay. The World No. 22 was trying to reach the quarter-finals at a Masters 1000 event for the first time, after defeating Dusan Lajovic and Tommy Paul earlier this week.

Prize money for this year’s Roland Garros will total €43.6 million, an increase of more than 6.8 percent from pre-pandemic levels (2019), the tournament announced in a press release. 

The men’s and women’s singles champions in Paris will each receive €2.2 million. The first-round losers in the singles draws will earn €62,000, an increase of 35 per cent on 2019 and three per cent on 2021.

The men’s and women’s doubles draws will see an increase of 6.1 per cent compared to 2019, with the winning team earning €580,000.

The year’s second major will be played from 22 May-5 June. Novak Djokovic won the men’s singles title last year, and home favourites Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut triumphed in doubles.

Men’s & Women’s Singles Prize Money

Men’s & Women’s Doubles Prize Money

After losing in the final round of qualifying at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Marcos Giron received a spot in the main draw as a lucky loser. The American has taken full advantage at the Foro Italico, where he defeated Alexander Bublik and 12th seed Diego Schwartzman to reach the third round.

Before the former college tennis star faces eighth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, learn more about Giron’s life off court in this edition of Gamers.

How much do you play video games these days?
To be honest, in the past year, I’ve played a lot less than I did during the pandemic and even pre-pandemic. I play maybe once a week and maybe even less than that, once a month.

I think in part, amazing and I think growing up video games were the anti-social thing to do. But I actually think it’s very social. It’s good being away from home to play online with friends and do something together. I found it great, especially when we were in bubbles and weren’t able to leave the hotel room. It was a fun way to stay engaged.

But since things have opened up and we’re travelling to cool cities, it kind of makes me appreciate being able to go out, visit the cities, have fun and visit other people.

During the pandemic we saw some players start travelling with their PlayStation. How much did you do that?
I travelled with a PlayStation for quite a while. I was doing it when Fortnite came out, so that was probably [around] 2017. Since 2017, through 2020, I was travelling a lot with the PlayStation. I played Fortnite. Call of Duty was a lot of fun. I played God of War, which was pretty epic.

Some guys travel with a PS4 and also a monitor in their suitcase, but I never travelled with a monitor. I just connected with whatever TV there was… I just made do with what it was and honestly it’s really good fun and I still really enjoy doing it. I just haven’t been travelling with my PlayStation. But when I’m back home or somebody else has it, I’ll play.

Is there something to “getting away” by playing video games because you spend so many hours on site? Obviously playing tennis is how you make your living so you have to, but is there something to doing something different?
Absolutely, yes. As a professional tennis player, it’s like we have to do everything we can to maximise our abilities, at least for me. Everyone is so good and the margins are so small. But part of that is also being able to disengage and being able to focus on other things, because if you’re thinking about tennis all day, every day — which I’m thinking about a lot of the time — it’s important to have an outlet.

I think most players have some form of an outlet. I think it’s good and healthy to be able to have that. [Video games] were a great outlet. But for me, I actually feel like the eyes are so important, that in part I’ve been playing a little bit less, because I feel like if I’m just locked in on the screen for so long, my eyes start getting a little blurred and that’s not necessarily the best thing! But I honestly think it’s so amazing.

How much do you follow professional e-sports?
I was watching some streaming, especially when Fortnite came out, to see how these pro gamers play. I haven’t gotten that into e-sports as far as watching it. I’ve seen a few streams on YouTube, but I wouldn’t know who the top players are when it comes to e-sports.

When you were growing up, video games were moreso just for fun. How interesting is it for you to see people make it into a profession?
It is! It’s like me playing tennis. It’s something I’ve done for so long and for those guys, they’ve done it for so long. I think there’s an aspect to it that’s pretty cool, that they’re so good at what they do. I think what they do is unbelievably tough. The time, the mental processing, the time that they have to make decisions, it’s quite impressive.

For me, I play a game for a living also. I play tennis. Maybe it’s more physical, but if I went against them I’d have absolutely no shot.

If you had to pick your three favourite games, what would they be?
The Legend of Zelda. This is actually really tough… It would have to be Super Smash Bros. or Mario Kart, one of those two. I would also have to say probably Fortnite. I’ll go Zelda, Mario Kart and Fortnite, even though I think there are a lot of other good ones.

I remember getting the N64. My first games were Zelda and Super Smash Bros. That probably explains it! I also remember getting Xbox for the first time, it was good fun.