Carlos Alcaraz, once again #1 in the world, is a pleasure to watch, and not just for the way he hits the ball.
Serving for the match yesterday at the U.S. Open, he had two championship points, both of which he lost. He returned to the baseline to serve at deuce, knowing that if his opponent, Jannik Sinner, won the game, the fourth set would be tied (5-5) and they would in all probability go to a tiebreaker, with Sinner holding the momentum.
Alcaraz won the next point, on an easy put-away at the net, and as he walked back for his third championship point, his face was briefly lit by a smile. I have watched a lot of tennis in my time (see the essay I posted on Friday) and I had never seen any player smile before a championship point. Bjorg, McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras, Federer and Nadal almost never smiled during matches; Djokovic does, from time to time, but never at a crucial point in a match. Alcaraz is blessed with exceptional talent and the even rarer ability to enjoy it – in the moment. He is the Say Hey Kid of tennis.
