Carlos Alcaraz dominates then struggles in first round at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz won his first-round match at Wimbledon defeating Jeremy Chardy, but the match got tougher for Alcaraz as it went on. Still, getting out of matches quickly is a must in Grand Slam tournaments and Alcaraz did accomplish that. He also seemed to learn a bit more about himself on grass.

Alcaraz won the match 6-0 6-2 7-5. Chardy kept creeping closer and closer to being the better player of the two at times, but Chardy seemed to run out of gas but the end of their third set and was broken late. Carlos Alcaraz then served out the match to move on.

Alcaraz will need to be a bit more consistent as the tournament moves on, however. Other players, especially those used to playing on grass more than Alcaraz is, won’t be as forgiving as Chardy was. Carlos Alcaraz is completely capable of winning the tournament, of course, but should he run into Novak Djokovic in the finals, any short times of lesser play could cost Alcaraz the match and his number 1 ranking.

Carlos Alcaraz moves into the second round at Wimbledon

Alcaraz won by his brilliant shot-making, doing things most players cannot dream of accomplishing. His ground strokes, especially from his backhand, will make him dangerous to even Djokovic. Even though he is a fantastic returner, a person with an overpowering serve can defeat him on grass.

That’s because things on grass courts can change quickly. A break here or there can change the tenor of what happens. Carlos Alcaraz might be happy that the third set did not get into a tie-break against Chardy as if the match had gone into a fourth set, it might have become stressful for Alcaraz.

Of course, most people should hope for an Alcaraz versus Djokovic final simply because we could see the proverbial changing of the guard in tennis. Or maybe see Djokovic on his run to three or four more majors. Alcaraz is through to the second round, however, and you take a win no matter how you get it.