Carlos Alcaraz and Other Top Tennis Pros Rely On Drop Shots
The New York Times Carlos Alcaraz is among the ranked players on the mens and women's tours who have increasingly dared to use the drop shot on crucial points.
I thought I had seen it all on a tennis court until I watched Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open on Monday.
No, Im not talking about the speed and punch of his forehand. Im talking about his audacious creativity: As Alcaraz worked his way into the net early in the match, Matteo Arnaldi lifted a lob over the Spaniards head. Alcaraz stopped, whirled his back to the net, jumped, and reached high to pull off a rare backhand overhead, which most pros attempt to hit with as powerful a snap as they can muster.
Alcaraz is not most pros. Instead of a snap, he purposefully deadened his stroke, sending the ball scooting off lightly and with a curve so it landed not far from the net.
A backhand, overhead drop shot winner in front of a packed house at Arthur Ashe Stadium? Who does that?
It was a small moment amid his 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 win, but it was beautiful, jaw-dropping and telling all at once.
