Carlos Alcaraz’s meteoric rise has taken the tennis world by storm. The 18-year-old Spaniard recently became the youngest Miami Open presented by Itau champion in tournament history and this week in Barcelona the World No. 11 has the chance to crack the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings for the first time.

Impressive as that is, Alcaraz has also set a new milestone that has gone under the radar. When the reigning Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals champion earned his 50th tour-level win in the Miami semi-finals, he had just 20 losses. According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, that’s a faster clip than the 27 players to reach World No. 1.

“He obviously started playing young, but so did so many others and he’s played a lot of tournaments and matches already. The greatest thing about the stats and the computers is they don’t lie,” former World No. 4 Brad Gilbert told ATPTour.com. “Whether or not he gets to what some of these other lofty people who were on there is yet to be seen. But it’s an amazing start.”

Fast To Fifty
Ordered by total weeks spent at No. 1

Gilbert coached Andy Roddick, the former World No. 1 who came closest to Alcaraz’s mark at 50 wins (50-22). Five former World No. 1s — Jimmy Connors, Juan Carlos Ferrero (Alcaraz’s coach), John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase and John Newcombe — were 50-23. Newcombe also played in pre-Open Era matches, for which the ATP does not have complete records.

But such a quick start is not a guarantee Alcaraz will reach World No. 1, and not all players who have climbed to the top have enjoyed a good start to their tour-level career. Roger Federer was 50-47, yet he has held World No. 1 longer than anyone in history except Novak Djokovic.

“Fed played a lot at a young age, but the thing was he improved his serve, he improved his backhand. He did things while he was still playing [at tour-level] as opposed to playing Challengers, so he took some losses,” Gilbert said. “But the big thing about him is he made big leaps. Sometimes you get too good at a young age and you don’t make those changes in your game because you’re winning so much.”

That is not to say Alcaraz has any particular holes in his game, but the road is just beginning for the Spaniard. Now 51-21 after winning the Miami title and losing in his opener at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, he will look to maintain his good form at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in front of his home fans.

“It’ll be fun to watch the next few years,” Gilbert said. “But the greatness of tennis is that nothing is guaranteed.”

Dominic Thiem may not have scored the win Tuesday on his ATP Tour return at the Serbia Open, but the Austrian earned a moral victory in a two-and-a-half-hour battle against John Millman.

“It felt good,” the former World No. 3 said after his first tour-level match since tearing his right wrist last June. “Actually, I’m really happy because it was a match; it was a fight.”

Thiem produced a spirited display to be proud of in a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6 defeat against the Aussie on centre court.

“I’m happy [with] how I was fighting, how I was defending, how I was moving.” he said. “The backhand was pretty good. The forehand is not there yet, but I know this and I’m practising so that it’s getting better.”

After making his competitive return on the ATP Challenger Tour in March, Thiem won a set for the first time in his comeback against Millman. But for now, he is keeping his expectations in check.

“There’s not too much to expect here and neither in the next three weeks,” he explained. “My goal is to be in good shape in Roland Garros and today doesn’t change [that]. Obviously I’m disappointed; I wanted to win. But still, the match itself, how long it was and the intensity, I’m pretty happy about it.

“Of course there are things missing, things that are not that great in my game. But that was completely clear also before this match.”

What is also clear — at least to Thiem’s opponent — is that the Austrian will soon return to the top of the game. Standing at No. 5 in the ATP Rankings at the time of his injury, Thiem is now at No. 54.

“When you get 100 per cent fit, I’m going to struggle, bud,” a smiling Millman said during a warm post-match handshake.

Pure honesty from @johnmillman 😅@domithiem #SerbiaOpen pic.twitter.com/W5NTAcYQe4

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 19, 2022

Having last played on the ATP Tour nearly one year ago, when COVID restrictions limited crowds, Thiem was also happy to play in front of a packed stadium once again. 

“That was great. I’m super happy that the fans are back,” he said of the experience. “Before my injury it was still pretty tough with COVID. There were many tournaments in front of empty stands.”

One such event was the 2020 US Open, where Thiem broke through to win his first Grand Slam title.

“Here, it’s full,” he continued, “and I’m super pumped for the next weeks to come.”

Diego Schwartzman put the disappointment of a heartbreaking Monte Carlo quarter-final loss behind him with an assured victory to open his Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell campaign on Tuesday.

The sixth-seeded Argentine was a 6-2, 6-2 winner against American Mackenzie McDonald on Pista Rafa Nadal. 

“Last week I had the chance to be in the semi-finals. It was very sad after the match against Tsitsipas,” Schwartzman said post-match. “He won the tournament, so I lost against the champion but I had an opportunity to be in the semi-finals in Monte Carlo, a Masters 1000.

“Maybe that is the positive thing from last week. This week already I won the first round. I have to keep improving some things but in this way, I know that I have the chance to win many matches in this clay season.”

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The World No. 15 broke in seven of his eight return games against McDonald, taking the last seven in a row after the American saved four break points to win the opening game of the match. But Schwartzman also dropped his own serve three times, leaving him not entirely satisfied with his performance.

“Maybe I have many things to improve for the next round,” he assessed. “Maybe I was not serving [great]. I was doing at the beginning of the match maybe too many mistakes, for me.

“At the end I think in the second set I was playing my best, but I made too many mistakes. He had another opportunity to come back in the match [after he broke for] 4-2. I took the chance one more time and at the end I think I did great in the last game.”

Schwartzman will next face #NextGenATP Italian Lorenzo Musetti, who advanced to the third round with a 6-4, 7-6(8) win over 12th seed Daniel Evans. The 20-year-old led by an early break in set two but had to stop Evans from serving out the set at 5-3. He then saved a pair of set points in the extended tie-break before closing it out on his second match point.

Saving his best for last!

Musetti comes up with a stunner before closing out a quality battle vs Evans in Barcelona 💯 pic.twitter.com/vgq9yP2PGb

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) April 19, 2022

Musetti and Schwartzman met less than one week ago in the Monte Carlo last 16, when the Argentine won a three-setter, and will square off again at the same stage in Barcelona. Musetti won the first of their two ATP Head2Head meetings last season in Acapulco, also in three sets.

Fourth Cameron Norrie closed out the day’s action with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 win over qualifier Egor Gerasimov, battling back from 1-3 down in the decider to notch his first clay-court victory of the year and his 16th overall.

John Millman prevented Dominic Thiem from making a winning return Tuesday, edging the Austrian 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to reach the second round at the Serbia Open.

The former World No. 3 was competing in his first tour-level match since June following injury and he showed glimpses of what he is capable of during the two-hour, 35-minute clash against the Australian.

Thiem struck his backhand aggressively, but was unable to produce his best level, with Millman breaking in the 10th game of the third set to advance. The 28-year-old, who played at an ATP Challenger Tour event at the end of March, is a 17-time tour-level titlist, with 10 of his victories coming on clay.

“It is great to be back here,” Millman said in his on-court interview. “I was looking forward to coming back and play. All credit to Domi. I can’t claim it was one of my biggest wins because he is just coming back from injury and I know how hard that is, coming back from three surgeries myself.

“I know it has been tough for Domi but the game is better having him back. Especially on this surface. I have got to take this win because when he gets better and fitter, it is going to be tough.”

With his victory, Millman claimed his first win in four career meetings with Thiem. The World No. 80 will next meet Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic.

#NextGenATP Czech Jiri Lehecka overcame Henri Laaksonen 6-2, 7-5 to continue his strong start to the season. The 20-year-old, who reached the semi-finals in Rotterdam in February, is fifth in the ATP Race To Milan as he bids to make his debut at the 21-and-under event in November. Lehecka will next face second seed Andrey Rublev.

Serbian Laslo Djere recorded a win on home soil, defeating countryman wild card Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 7-5, while Roman Safiullin downed Mikael Ymer 7-5, 6-0.

Spanish qualifier Carlos Taberner earned the biggest win of his season Tuesday at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, cruising past World No. 37 Sebastian Korda 6-3, 6-0 to earn just his second ATP 500 victory.

The World No. 94, who was making his debut in Barcelona, won 100 per cent (8/8) of points behind his second serve in his first-round clash against Korda and saved the one break point he faced to triumph after 67 minutes in front of his home support.

The 24-year-old will next face third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round. The Canadian will be bidding to lift his second trophy of the season this week, after capturing the crown in Rotterdam in February.

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South African Lloyd Harris booked his spot in the second round with a 6-4, 7-6(0) victory over Roberto Carballes Baena. The World No. 40 lost in the first round at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters last week in his first clay match of the year, but responded with a consistent display to set a meeting with Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

Marton Fucosvics, who downed Harris in Monte Carlo, eliminated Australian Jordan Thompson 6-4, 6-2, while Emil Ruusuvuori defeated former World No. 12 Feliciano Lopez 6-0, 6-1.

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.