Key events
But how does he win here? He might want to stick in in points, frustrating Alcaraz by hitting down the middle of the court to deny him angles, or he might look to attack on the basis that if he doesn’t, a winner will arrive at some point. It’s not really reflective of my worldview, but I’d take the former option.
So what of today? Lehecka isn’t just a servebot – he’s extremely useful off the ground too – but I’m interested to see how he handles the occasion, Going on to court before one match last year, he was overheard berating his team for putting too much pressure on him by saying he could be world no 1. This is not the kinds of conversation I’d expect Sinner or Alcaraz ever to have had, reason being they’re both born killers. And, though it’s a proclivity that can be nurtured, it suggests a testy relationship with pressure and entitlement.
Good news for the British no 1.
We could easily be discussing this for a decade, but will Draper win a Slam? Mac reckons he’s good for more than one, but I’m less sure. I fear he may struggle to see off Alcaraz on clay and grass, and Sinner on hards. The latter, though, looks his best route.
Also going on:
In Nottingham, where Dayana Yastremska faces McCartney Kessler, they’re off for rain with Kessler up 5-4 in the first.
Preamble
Just under a fortnight ago, Carlos Alcaraz completed one of the great comebacks to beat Jannik Sinner in one of the great finals, winning his second consecutive French Open in the process, and it felt like everything had changed. There was before that match, and there would be after it.
In our minds and our hearts, that might remain the case. But for actual sportsfolk, actual sport isn’t really like that, moving relentlessly and remorselessly on like nothing else has happened, is happening, will happen – it’s Eckhart Tolle’s Power of Now to the nth degree. The past is passed and the future is a promise; all that exists the current moment.
If we were here to improve ourselves we could probably learn something from that; never mind. Even so, though, as they stand before us this afternoon we can be certain Alcaraz doesn’t care about Paris, he just wants to win today, and Jiri Lehecka definitely doesn’t care about Paris, he just wants to win the biggest title of his nascent career.
And believe that he can; when you serve like he does, you can win against anyone, To get to here, he’s seen off Alex de Minaur, Gabriel Diallo, Jacob Fearnley and an admittedly ill Jack Draper – a decent effort nevertheless – and won’t be overawed by the opponent or occasion.
Alcaraz, though, is capable of winning any contest, from any position, in any manner, a creative genius and mentality monster. He is beatable – the options available to him on court are so numerous he sometimes loses himself among them – but if Lehecka is to triumph today, he’ll have to play the match of his life so far, having convinced himself it’s the only match that’s ever been. And even then, it might not be enough.
Play: 2pm BST
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