US Open 2023: Defending champ Carlos Alcaraz returns as a favourite of fans, but not of oddsmakers
New York, on August 28th.
Carlos Alcaraz wants to be less noticeable when he moves around at the US Open.
Of course, it’s not possible. New York is not a peaceful place when you are famous, and even though the Spaniard is only 20 years old, he is already a star in tennis.
Novak Djokovic is the current champion, but some experts don’t think he will win again. However, many fans support him.
They will need to wait an additional day to see him. Alcaraz will not be playing on Monday for the first day of matches. Iga Swiatek, the top-ranked player, will start her title defense in the afternoon. Coco Gauff and Djokovic, who are both 19 years old, will play in the evening.
Alcaraz will play against Dominik Koepfer on Tuesday night, which gives him an extra day to prepare without being bothered by all the excitement and attention that started even before he won last year’s title and has been growing since then.
Alcaraz said this week with a smile that his life has changed a lot. Maybe it’s a whole new life, where I’m more well-known. Many people have become familiar with my name since the US Open last year.
Alcaraz became the first teenager to win the US Open men’s title since Pete Sampras in 1990 after defeating Casper Ruud. Sampras didn’t become famous right away because John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors were still popular, and Andre Agassi was already making a big impact.
But since Roger Federer is no longer playing and Rafael Nadal has been out due to injuries, Alcaraz has gained a lot of fans. He realized this when he came back to New York and saw that many people recognized him in restaurants and golf courses.
“Alcaraz said that he sometimes enjoys it and sometimes does not. ” Sometimes, you just want to feel like an ordinary person and be able to walk without any difficulties. Could you please provide the text that you would like me to simplify. Yes, sometimes I want to be someone who nobody knows. But it’s going to be really hard. I also have to have fun during that part. But sometimes it becomes hard.
But he is clearly having fun. He played basketball with NBA star Jimmy Butler to raise money for Ukraine. Then, he played a soccer game on Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day and won with Swiatek.
His real tennis is what spectators are eagerly anticipating. Alcaraz amazed Djokovic and McEnroe, as well as the audience, with his exciting playing style. He hit powerful forehand shots and played delicate drop shots with skill.
This person is really impressive. McEnroe, who works as an analyst for ESPN, said the word “electric. ” He said Alcaraz is the most talented 20-year-old tennis player he has ever seen, even better than Novak, Roger, and Rafa.
Alcaraz has won a lot of matches this season and has won six titles, including a big one at Wimbledon where he narrowly beat Djokovic. He recently lost a match against Djokovic in the Cincinnati final. The match lasted three sets and almost four hours.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Djokovic is the favorite to win the tournament because of his win and his record 23 Grand Slam singles titles, which is the most by any player. He and Alcaraz met in the last two big tennis tournaments, but they couldn’t meet in New York until September. The 36-year-old from Serbia will not wait long to see his new competitor.
“He is definitely one of the top players in the world in the past few years,” Djokovic said. Yes, someone is always watching him from our team or from any other team. I understand that the same applies to me, most likely.
