{"id":49093,"date":"2025-05-18T01:24:34","date_gmt":"2025-05-18T01:24:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=49093"},"modified":"2025-05-18T01:24:34","modified_gmt":"2025-05-18T01:24:34","slug":"tim-henman-reveals-critical-weakness-that-could-hinder-carlos-alcarazs-grand-slam-ambitions-%f0%9f%98%b2%f0%9f%97%a3%ef%b8%8f%e2%9d%97","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=49093","title":{"rendered":"Tim Henman Reveals Critical Weakness That Could Hinder Carlos Alcaraz’s Grand Slam Ambitions \ud83d\ude32\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f\u2757"},"content":{"rendered":"

Carlos Alcaraz has scheduled a semifinal clash at the Italian Open against Lorenzo Musetti, against whom, he is 4-1 in the head-to-head record.<\/p>\n

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\"Tim<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Carlos Alcaraz, Tim Henman (Image via X\/Carlos Alcaraz, Sky Sports)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Carlos Alcaraz<\/strong>\u00a0is inching closer to his third title of the season as he reached the semifinals of the Italian Open and will face the home favorite\u00a0Lorenzo Musetti<\/strong>. Except for his fourth-round match against\u00a0Karen Khachanov<\/strong>, Alcaraz has not dropped a set.<\/p>\n

Before the Italian Masters 1000, Alcaraz reached the championship matches of the two tournaments he played on clay. He denied Musetti his first Masters 1000 title by beating him in three sets in the\u00a0Monte Carlo Masters\u00a0final.<\/p>\n

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The four-time Grand Slam champion then entered Rome after playing the Barcelona Open final against\u00a0Holger Rune<\/strong>. Alcaraz, because of his hamstring injury, had skipped the Madrid Open.<\/p>\n

Before this season, he never progressed to the quarterfinals in Rome. Former ATP ace Tim Henman analyzed Alcaraz\u2019s matches in the last European clay-court 1000 event and said that if the 22-year-old wants to achieve his Grand Slam double-digit tally, he needs to be more disciplined about his shot selection. He told Sky Sports:<\/p>\n

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The reality is that the best have good habits, no matter the event. With Alcaraz, we're in a conversation with [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal, and [Novak] Djokovic, and that's the small question mark. I love watching him play; he's absolutely brilliant, but he sometimes lacks discipline in his shot selection.<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Alcaraz holds a 4-1 head-to-head lead over the 23-year-old. The lone victory the World No.9 secured was in their first encounter at the 2022 Hamburg European Open.<\/p>\n
Laura Robson analyzes Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s quarterfinal match against Jack Draper<\/h2>\n
Before reaching the semifinal,\u00a0Carlos Alcaraz\u00a0got his revenge on\u00a0Jack Draper<\/strong>, the British ace who denied the Spaniard a chance to defend his Indian Wells title by beating him in the semifinals. It was Draper\u2019s biggest title of his career.<\/p>\n
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\"Jack
Jack Draper, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP\/X)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After his win in Rome, Alcaraz improved his head-to-head record over the 23-year-old to 4-2. Former WTA player and Draper\u2019s compatriot\u00a0Laura Robson<\/strong>\u00a0analyzed the match and pointed out where Alcaraz got the edge over the World No.5 during the match. She told Sky Sports:<\/p>\n
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It just felt like in the big moments, he was ever so slightly fresher with his footwork. That plays a huge part when you\u2019ve got as many matches under your belt as Jack has, over the last three weeks, mentally you\u2019re battling away, physically you\u2019re battling away, and you just feel like you\u2019ve got no energy to turn the tide.<\/em><\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Alcaraz, the winner of nine clay-court titles, had skipped the Italian Open last year due to an injury. He will start the next week as No.2, toppling\u00a0Alexander Zverev<\/strong>, the defending champion in Rome, who got knocked out after Musetti beat in the quarterfinals.<\/p>\n
Carlos Alcaraz could set up a clash with Jannik Sinner in the Italian Open final<\/h2>\n
If Alcaraz reaches the final and Sinner beats\u00a0Tommy Paul<\/strong>, then the\u00a0two rivals will set up a blockbuster showdown\u00a0on Sunday. Alcaraz holds a 6-4 head-to-head lead over the three-time Grand Slam champion and won the last three matches they played against each other in the official events of the 2024 season.<\/p>\n
\"Carlos
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X\/The Tennis Letter, Bastien Fachan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Before setting up his fifth tour-level clash with Paul, Sinner\u00a0produced his best performance in the tournament\u00a0when he knocked out two-time French Open finalist\u00a0Casper Ruud<\/strong>\u00a06-0, 6-1. Sinner, who skipped many tournaments due to his three-month doping ban, hasn\u2019t yet lost a match since his defeat to Alcaraz in last year\u2019s China Open final in October.<\/p>\n
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He is chasing his second title of the season after defending his Australian Open title by beating Alexander Zverev in January. At the Roland Garros this year, Alcaraz and Sinner will meet only if they reach the final as the former will be the second seed in the clay-court Major.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Carlos Alcaraz has scheduled a semifinal clash at the Italian Open against Lorenzo Musetti, against whom, he is 4-1 in the head-to-head record. 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