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Irish Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Carlos Alcaraz shows signs he's human, but not many, in comfortable defeat of Oliver Tarvet
There were negatives, of course. Shall we focus on the negatives? Shall we dwell on the frailties a little? The uncharacteristic errors, the double faults, an occasional scruffiness at the net, the frequent slumps in intensity? Shall we marvel at the fact that the lowest-ranked player in the tournament earned more break points (11) than one of the greatest players of his generation (10)? Shall we warn, in a tone of affected sternness, that the defending champion will have to raise his game on this evidence? Of course we shall, because this is Carlos Alcaraz , and because there is an entire cottage industry built around maintaining the idea that Alcaraz is in a state of crisis at all times, a state of crisis so acute that it is necessary to feign round-the-clock concern for him. We just want to see all that rich talent fulfilled. That's all it is. Sincerely and genuinely. And definitely not a weirdly prurient interest in his holidays to Ibiza, or whether him and Emma Raducanu are, you know. Just the talent. Thinking of the talent here. READ MORE And of course the illicit pleasure and enduring appeal of Alcaraz is that he so readily indulges these desires. He emotes. He misses a lot. He pulls off spectacular acrobatic winners immediately after missing a lot. He lives without inhibitions or regrets. Alcaraz is essentially a magic-eye puzzle you can read in whatever way you want. After the sweat-drenched psychodrama of Fabio Fognini on Monday night there were more danger signs in his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Britain's Oliver Tarvet; if you really, really wanted to see them. The more prosaic truth is that Alcaraz was playing himself as much as he was playing the world No 733 from St Albans. Tarvet is one of those classic British folk heroes the early rounds of Wimbledon always seem to throw up, complete with shaggy-dog backstory and tabloid headline-friendly name. And if Alcaraz was expecting an easy afternoon of Tarvet practice, he quickly discovered that it would be anything but easy shaking off this particular Tarvet from his back. Carlos Alcaraz (left) and Oliver Tarvet at the end of the match, which Alcaraz won in straight sets. Photograph: Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images Certainly Tarvet seemed to get an early read on the Alcaraz serve, used his speed and coverage to trade happily from the baseline, rode the early waves of noise from the home crowd. Some of his passes were sublime. Above all he looked untroubled, unfazed, hyper-confident, like a crypto-billionaire who had won a game against Carlos Alcaraz in a charity auction. 'Good serve,' he called out at one point as his opponent pinned him with a vicious delivery to the body. Alcaraz shot him a look as if to say: yeah. Obviously it's a good serve. I'm Carlos Alcaraz. Who are you again? But of course no read on Alcaraz's serve is ever going to rival the read he has on yours. And though both men kept swinging, while Tarvet created break points and saved others, the only real jeopardy here was of the confected variety. Tarvet probably played the best match of his life, and in the end it was like bringing a sword to a sword fight when your opponent has about six far superior swords. There was a sadistic relish to the way Alcaraz kept teasing him with the drop shot, occasionally missing, mostly succeeding. But of course the drop shot, such a staple of the Alcaraz game, is also a stick to beat him with. Missing it costs one point, exactly the same as putting a forehand an inch long. And yet some misses are clearly more moral than others. For his detractors, Alcaraz's missed drop shots will always be taken in evidence against him, proof of his essential flimsiness. And so, once again, we must deal with the principal charge. Alcaraz is inconsistent. It's true, because everyone says so, to the point where it has basically passed into objective fact. Like the objective fact that Alcaraz has a win percentage of 90 per cent so far this year, has won five of his six finals, is slowly putting together one of the greatest seasons in the modern era. [ Wimbledon player James McCabe's Irish father: 'If the tennis court hadn't been where we rented, I don't think he would have picked up a racket' Opens in new window ] His grass-court record stands comparison with the all-timers. This is the sort of inconsistency all but one of his rivals would dream of. But of course this is a stylistic as much as it is an empirical judgment. It is true that there is a big gulf between his highest and lowest levels. That he occasionally loses to people like Botic van de Zandschulp. That towards the end of last season and for a small portion of this he has looked a little unmoored, a little rattled. And yet, how much of this reaction stems from a desire to see crisis, to armchair-analyse, to draw a straight line from his personal choices to his tennis as a way of justifying our interest in his personal choices? In a way, Alcaraz's entire game serves as a kind of rejoinder to all this. This is, remember, still a player with just 34 tour games on grass, still adding levels and tones to his game, still learning how to master the mental side, still trying to work out exactly how famous he wants to be. In the meantime, he's going to keep going for the lines, keep going to Ibiza, keep trying the drop shot, keep embracing the chaos, because that's the only way he knows. What if he misses, you scream. Fine. But what if he doesn't? - Guardian
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Carlos Alcaraz shakes off Tarvet from his back without inhibitions or regrets
There were negatives, of course. Shall we focus on the negatives? Shall we dwell on the frailties a little? The uncharacteristic errors, the double faults, an occasional scruffiness at the net, the frequent slumps in intensity? Shall we marvel at the fact that the lowest-ranked player in the tournament earned more break points (11) than one of the greatest players of his generation (10)? Shall we warn, in a tone of affected sternness, that the defending champion will have to raise his game on this evidence? Of course we shall, because this is Carlos Alcaraz, and because there is an entire cottage industry built around maintaining the idea that Alcaraz is in a state of crisis at all times, a state of crisis so acute that it is necessary to feign round-the-clock concern for him. We just want to see all that rich talent fulfilled. That's all it is. Sincerely and genuinely. And definitely not a weirdly prurient interest in his holidays to Ibiza, or whether him and Emma Raducanu are, you know. Just the talent. Thinking of the talent here. And of course the illicit pleasure and enduring appeal of Alcaraz is that he so readily indulges these desires. He emotes. He misses a lot. He pulls off spectacular acrobatic winners immediately after missing a lot. He lives without inhibitions or regrets. Alcaraz is essentially a magic-eye puzzle you can read in whatever way you want, and after the sweat-drenched psychodrama of Fabio Fognini on Monday night there were more danger signs in his 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 win over Britain's Ollie Tarvet; if you really, really wanted to see them. The more prosaic truth is that Alcaraz was playing himself as much as he was playing the world No 733 from St Albans. Tarvet is one of those classic British folk heroes the early rounds of Wimbledon always seem to throw up, complete with shaggy-dog backstory and tabloid headline-friendly name. And if Alcaraz was expecting an easy afternoon of Tarvet practice, he quickly discovered that it would be anything but easy shaking off this particular Tarvet from his back. Certainly Tarvet seemed to get an early read on the Alcaraz serve, used his speed and coverage to trade happily from the baseline, rode the early waves of noise from the home crowd. Some of his passes were sublime. Above all he looked untroubled, unfazed, hyper-confident, like a crypto-billionaire who had won a game against Carlos Alcaraz in a charity auction. 'Good serve,' he called out at one point as his opponent pinned him with a vicious delivery to the body. Alcaraz shot him a look as if to say: yeah. Obviously it's a good serve. I'm Carlos Alcaraz. Who are you again? But of course no read on Alcaraz's serve is ever going to rival the read he has on yours. And though both men kept swinging, while Tarvet created break points and saved others, the only real jeopardy here was of the confected variety. Tarvet probably played the best match of his life, and in the end it was like bringing a sword to a sword fight when your opponent has about six far superior swords. There was a sadistic relish to the way Alcaraz kept teasing him with the drop shot, occasionally missing, mostly succeeding. But of course the drop shot, such a staple of the Alcaraz game, is also a stick to beat him with. Missing it costs one point, exactly the same as putting a forehand an inch long. And yet some misses are clearly more moral than others. For his detractors Alcaraz's missed drop shots will always be taken in evidence against him, proof of his essential flimsiness. And so, once again, we must deal with the principal charge. Alcaraz is inconsistent. It's true, because everyone says so, to the point where it has basically passed into objective fact. Like the objective fact that Alcaraz has a win percentage of 90% so far this year, has won five of his six finals, is slowly putting together one of the greatest seasons in the modern era. His grass-court record stands comparison with the all-timers. This is the sort of inconsistency all but one of his rivals would dream of. But of course this is a stylistic as much as it is an empirical judgment. It is true that there is a big gulf between his highest and lowest levels. That he occasionally loses to people like Botic van de Zandschulp. That towards the end of last season and for a small portion of this he has looked a little unmoored, a little rattled. And yet how much of this reaction stems from a desire to see crisis, to armchair-analyse, to draw a straight line from his personal choices to his tennis as a way of justifying our interest in his personal choices? In a way, Alcaraz's entire game serves as a kind of rejoinder to all this. This is, remember, still a player with just 34 tour games on grass, still adding levels and tones to his game, still learning how to master the mental side, still trying to work out exactly how famous he wants to be. In the meantime he's going to keep going for the lines, keep going to Ibiza, keep trying the drop shot, keep embracing the chaos, because that's the only way he knows. What if he misses, you scream. Fine. But what if he doesn't?
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Humble Carlos Alcaraz sends classy personal message to family of ill fan he took water to during Wimbledon health scare
CARLOS ALCARAZ sent a classy message to the family of the unwell fan he helped at Wimbledon. The defending champion raced into action when he noticed a supporter had been taken ill during his first-round match on Centre Court. 5 5 The incident happened during the fifth set against Fabio Fognini as temperatures far exceeded 30C. Alcaraz, 22, dashed to his bag and grabbed a bottle of water before running over to hand it to the crowd to take to the stricken spectator. A 15-minute delay followed as she was given medical treatment. And her daughter Eluned took to X to thank Alcaraz for his speedy service. She wrote: "Thank you @carlosalcaraz for the concern shown to my mum today who was taken ill during your tennis match at Centre Court @Wimbledon today. "Unlikely you'll see this message but I can try! Thank you." Incredibly, though, despite his media commitments, practice and looking to secure a hat-trick of Wimbledon crowns, Alcaraz made time to send a personal reply. The humble world No2 Spaniard typed: "You're very welcome, it was nothing! "I hope your mum is doing well. "Send her a kiss from me and take good care of me." Brit Wimbledon star Oliver Tarvet's girlfriend stuns in low-cut dress as she watches him take on Carlos Alcaraz 5 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 Alcaraz followed up his first-round win by beating Brit world No733 Ollie Tarvet 6-1 6-4 6-4 on Centre Court. The Brit student was cheered on by his girlfriend Helaena as he did himself proud during the straight-sets defeat to cap off a brilliant SW19. 5
ITV News
12 hours ago
- Climate
- ITV News
Fan thanks Carlos Alcaraz for helping mum who fainted during hot weather at Wimbledon
The family of a Welsh tennis fan who fainted during hot weather at Carlos Alcaraz's Wimbledon match have thanked the world number two for coming to her aid. The Spaniard was 3-0 up in a decisive fifth set during a tense first-round encounter with Fabio Fognini on Monday when the match was paused after a spectator fainted in the stands. The defending champion rushed to help, handing her a cold bottle of water as medics arrived. After play was stopped for 17 minutes, she was eventually carried away, and was sat up and responsive. The woman has since been named as a 79-year-old woman from West Wales. Now, her daughter Eluned Lewis has thanked Alcaraz for his actions, writing on X: "Thank you @carlosalcaraz for the concern shown to my mum today who was taken ill during your tennis match at Centre Court @Wimbledon today. Unlikely you'll see this message but I can try! Thank you." The star replied: "You're very welcome, it was nothing! I hope your mum is doing well. Send her a kiss from me and take good care of her!" Wimbledon was close to its hottest day on record on Tuesday as sweltering temperatures gripped the All England Club, forcing fans to huddle under umbrellas and sending queues scrambling for shade. The temperature reached 34.2°C by mid-afternoon, edging closer to the tournament's record high of 35.7°C set in 2015. It followed a scorching Monday which provisionally broke the record for the hottest opening day, with 29.7°C logged at Kew Gardens.
Newsweek
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
How To Watch Wimbledon Second Round: Live Stream Wimbledon 2025, TV Channel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The second round of Wimbledon will get underway on Wednesday with a packed schedule of matches, including No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz taking the court. Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand against Fabio Fognini of Italy during the Gentlemen's Singles first round match on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club... Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand against Fabio Fognini of Italy during the Gentlemen's Singles first round match on day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on June 30, 2025 in London, England. More Photo byHow to Watch Wimbledon 2025, Second Round Date: Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Time: 6:00 AM ET Channel: ESPN Stream: Fubo (WATCH FOR FREE) The big match of the day features No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, who will face British tennis player Oliver Tarvet. Alcaraz is coming off a win over Fabio Fognini in the first round, winning a surprisingly competitive match that went to five sets. He avoided the upset by winning the fifth set 6-1. Another big men's matchup sees No. 5 seed Taylor Fritz face Gabriel Diallo. Fritz took five sets to defeat Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, coming back after dropping the first two sets. On the women's side, Wednesday will feature No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka taking on Marie Bouzkova. Naomi Osaka is in action as well. American Madison Keys, the No. 6 seed, will take on Olga Danilovic. Keys defeated Elena-Gabriel Ruse in the first round, losing the first set but coming back to make the second and third sets 7-5 and 7-5. Last year, Carlos Alcaraz won the men's singles title at Wimbledon while Barbora Krejčíková won the women's title. You can stream many of this year's Wimbledon matches live by subscribing to Fubo. Start a free trial today to begin watching the action. Live stream the Second Round of Wimbledon on Fubo: Start your free trial now! Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.
