Fonseca vs Paul / Alcaraz Documentary

Louis Vuitton — forehands, or, avoiding forehands at all costs — sucky picks

Fonseca vs Paul

This was an interesting match that could have gone either way (Fonseca had two set points in set 1 and set 2). It juxtaposed the movement and all-around court-craft of Paul against the heavy-hitting baseliner in Fonseca.

The young Brazilian teen didn’t waste any time billing the winner column, ripping this backhand on the very first point of the match:

two metres behind the baseline and he just goes boom with the off-backhand.

Two points later and Fonseca hit a backhand line winner again, this time off a Tommy kick-serve.

But the American was unperturbed. He had a plan, and that plan was to avoid the Fonseca forehand with rally balls at all-costs. Otherwise this would happen:

Ridiculous racquet head speed to get that up-and-down and hit it that hard off a low slice.

And the very next point:

Fonseca earned break points early and often, but he would go 1/11 on the night compared to Paul’s perfect 1/1. One very effective play for Tommy was the kick-serve on the ad-court when Fonseca decided on a deep return position. He did it over and over again:

Whenever Fonseca would stand in, Tommy would hit the serve a little faster, and then go hard into Fonseca’s forehand to rush the youngster and take his legs away; you can’t fire a cannon from a canoe

Fonseca is still vulnerable when rushed.

Paul’s strategy was highly disciplined, well executed, and he often leaned on his serving and net play to take advantage of Fonseca’s lack of first-step explosiveness. Look at the backhand direction in set 1: Avoid. The. Fonseca. Forehand.

I don’t have shot direction data for this match, but would be interesting to see Paul’s overall directions from both wings.

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Carlos Alcaraz: My Way

Even in absence, Carlos Alcaraz can’t escape the spotlight — or the questions about how long he’ll stay on top — thanks to the release of his Netflix documentary on April 23rd.

The three-part documentary covers the ups and downs of Alcaraz’s 2024 season — the highs of winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon — as well as the bitter disappointments that soon followed, where Alcaraz lost in the Olympics doubles with his idol, Rafael Nadal, and then lost the singles final to Djokovic.

The episodes also reveal a tension between Alcaraz’s ambition to join the Big-3 and his desire to live like a normal 21-year-old. Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, is certain that to join tennis’ Mt Rushmore, the Spanish phenom needs to be fully locked in on the tour, and doubts if his pupil’s current methods will reap future success as handsomely as he has managed so far.

“His understanding of work and sacrifice is different from ours.”

— Ferrero

Yet, Alcaraz is adamant he can carve out greatness while still enjoying himself, hence the '“my way” subtitle. In fact, he sees his epicureanism as necessary to his on-court success.

“In order to be happy again, I need to feel really good off the court.”

— Alcaraz

@gamesetmatchup

For me, the documentary resonated even more because I’d explored these themes in my sports psychology masters thesis, where I interviewed five ATP coaches of top-20 players. Most of them noted how important it was to make sure all these seemingly trivial matters — finding interesting places to eat, adapting to their player’s hobby, organising trainings around brand PR events, getting them home for short tactical breaks, etc. — were attended to in order to keep their player happy. As a result, coaches end up moonlighting in all these myriad ways that have nothing to do with hitting a tennis ball. Even when it finally did come time to practice, several coaches in my study felt that it was necessary to focus on strengths for similar reasons. An excerpt (emphasis added):

Furthermore, the ubiquitous tournament offerings, along with numerous sponsorship activities and exhibition events meant coaches rarely had enough time to develop their player in training. As a result, several coaches emphasised that it was important to prioritize their player’s strengths in training, as this clarified the player’s on-court identity, and helped to ensure that training sessions were enjoyable and sources of confidence.

The series also gives you a glimpse into just how extensive the job is beyond matches when you’re a global ambassador for numerous brands like Alcaraz. Interviews in english and spanish, brand campaigns, photoshoots, awards ceremonies, fan autograph sessions, exhibition matches, and ATP media are all part of the job.

“Ok we just have one more visit left. We just have to meet and greet with Louis Vuitton, and then we can focus on the tournament.”

— Albert Molina

Unlike Federer, who had a seemingly endless passion for the PR and travel aspect of being a number one, Alcaraz seems to tolerate it for the moment. Given how much of the job this is when you are a player of his calibre, one wonders if the Spaniard will have the motivation for all this to match the longevity of the Big-3.

“When I was 15, I wanted to be a tennis player, obviously. Once you become one, that’s when you realise that there are a lot of things you have to do that go with the game.”

— Carlos Alcaraz

A lot can happen in 15 years though, and Alcaraz is still just 21. Djokovic didn’t go gluten-free and win his second slam until he was nearly 24. New rivals arrive (just ask Federer). The tour changes. So far, those changes have resulted in longer events at the Masters level (like Madrid), which the ATP defends by saying players get more rest days — but players tend to need a mental break from the tour as much as they do a physical one, and that is best achieved at home, not out of a hotel room and suitcase, Louis Vuitton or otherwise.

For now, Alcaraz is still writing the early (and highly entertaining) chapters of a career that — like the game itself — will keep evolving.

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My Picks Suck

There’s no other way to put it. Podcast episode 1 was a disaster. I only picked 18 of 32 correct; barely better than blind! And two of my semifinal picks (Rune, Fonseca) are gone.

Let’s try again at the round of 16 perhaps. Who’s winning the title from here?

See you in the comments. HC.