7/2/2023 0 Comments Many thank you in spanish![]() He often stops to observe someone play, and that's what he was doing seven years ago when he first saw Carlos Alcaraz play a match. "It's not the best site in the world for a tennis academy, but it's a place that's very peaceful with a good climate," says Antonio Cascales of the Juan Carlos Ferrero Equelite Tennis Academy, a campus he co-founded and named after the first player he guided to #1 in the world.Īntonio Martinez Cascales is short, bald, and his face reveals a quiet serenity as he strolls between the courts at the academy. Patrick Hamilton/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images The Spanish star credits his success to his early training as a boy in the Spanish academies. Spanish Rafael Nadal pictured at the 2023 'Australian Open' is sitting out the French Open due to an injury. A combination of factors - climate, infrastructure, and training - over the past five decades has converged to create a Spanish pipeline of players that have come to dominate tennis in the 21 st century. That both players are from Spain is not a coincidence. The rising star of Alcaraz has coincided with the falling one of his larger-than-life contemporary and fellow countryman Rafael Nadal, who, after winning a record 14 titles at the French Open, has opted out of this year's Grand Slam tournament due to a hip injury. In the past year, the 20-year-old from the nearby city of Murcia has quickly climbed his way to the top of the game through a combination of explosive forehands at sharp angles, jumping backhand cannon returns, and flawless drop shots that send opponents scurrying to the net, usually in vain. VILLENA, SPAIN – It takes a series of decrepit, one-lane roads wending through the quiet, sun-drenched olive and orange orchards of the southern Spanish countryside before you begin to hear a chorus of popping sounds tennis balls being hit by a group of elite players that include the top player in the world, Carlos Alcaraz. ![]() ![]() Carlos Alcaraz of Spain plays a forehand against Taro Daniel of Japan during a Second Round Match at the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros on in Paris, France. ![]()
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