Anyone who watched Carlos Alcaraz win the 2022 US Open could tell you the brand new world number one plays the net extremely well with star-quality volley winners. But the hidden drama within Alcaraz’s game relates to his intention in the front court– a trait that most baseliners of today do not have.
A closer examination with the use of match tagging reveals a more detailed picture of what exactly Alcaraz does at the net.
After watching the electrifying semifinal match between Alcaraz and Francis Tiafoe, I remarked to a colleague how well the Spaniard handles himself at the net. This fellow journalist said, “Yes, and Francis comes in some, too.”
Well, yes and no. There’s a big difference between how Alcaraz tackles the net in this sport and how the vast majority of players on the ATP and WTA tour handle this aspect of the game. The difference involves intention.
Net Points Won
Let’s take a look at the stat “Net Points Won,” which is an official stat kept by the US Open and other tournaments. IBM is the branded data partner for the US Open. In reality, the grunt-work gathering of data on a point-by-point basis is typically subcontracted to other companies, which hire workers to watch the matches and use their judgment about points on the fly.
What is considered a “net point won” in professional tennis? It depends on who’s doing the official data recording. Many stat gatherers consider it any ball hit inside the baseline, and it wouldn’t have to be a volley.
Take a minute to think about these scenarios. Would a point in which a player approached the net, but then had to retreat to the baseline and ended up winning the point, be considered a “net point won”? I don’t know. What if a player stands behind the baseline, hits a deep, damaging shot, approaches the net, draws an error because he approached, but never had to hit a shot in the front of the court? His intention was clearly to come into the net, and he did. But in so doing, the ball never came back. Is that a “net point won”? And what about a serve/volley play in which a volley was never struck due to a return error– precipitated by the very fact that the server was approaching the net?
You can see how the stat “net points won” doesn’t tell the entire story. There’s an element of this that’s really about intention, which is precisely where Carlos Alcaraz separates himself.
When a player comes into the net, they can either do it because they intended to– or they can do it because they were drawn in. Sometimes they are drawn in because they earned that short ball, sometimes they are drawn in due to opponent mistake and sometimes they are drawn in by a drop shot, against their will. It’s complicated. Alcaraz– much more often than other baseliners– approaches the net because he intends to.
Carlos Alcaraz US Open Final
Overall for the match, IBM tallies Alcaraz’s net point won at 34/45 (76%). Ruud’s was 23/36 (64%). Both are excellent. Carlitos showed superiority percentage-wise, as well as more net play overall.
Let’s do a deep-dive into the pivotal first set, which Alcaraz won 6-4, in his defeat of Casper Ruud to win the US Open championship. Official IBM stats tell us Alcaraz won 9 of 11 net points for a success rate of 82%. (By contrast, IBM says Ruud won 3 of 7.) Through match tagging, however, here’s a breakdown of what actually happened with regard to Alcaraz and the net:
Set 1:
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention. Draws error. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention. Passed with a winner. Loses point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention. Misses volley with error. Loses point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention. Approach shot was a winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention. Hits volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz serves-and-volleys with intention. Hits volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention, retreats to baseline. Loses point.
– Alcaraz approaches net with intention, commits drop volley error. Loses point.
– Alcaraz approaches on short ball (drawn in). Approach shot was a winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches with intention. Hits volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches with intention. Hits volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches with intention. Hits drop volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz approaches with intention. Volley drew error. Wins point.
– Alcaraz serves-and-volleys with intention. Hits volley winner. Wins point.
– Alcaraz serves-and-volleys with intention. Half volley drew error. Wins point.
As you can see, I count 15 net approaches, while IBM only has nine. I show Alcaraz winning 11 of those 15 points for a winning percentage of 73%. For this first set, we both show Alcaraz as having a successful rate, but mine relates more to intention for approaching, even when the ball didn’t come back.
Carlos Alcaraz Net Approaches
Every player has their own idea of what constitutes a “short ball” worthy of approaching the net. Many players want something around the service line in order to make the foray. The extraordinary thing about Alcaraz is that he often approaches after a ball he strikes at the baseline. It isn’t even a short ball at all.
The classic pattern against a right-handed player with a weaker backhand than forehand (like Ruud) is to approach down the line, deep and/or damaging to the opponent’s backhand, wait for a floater, and finish with a volley to the open court. But Alcaraz is so fast, that his pattern sometimes involves an approach not with a down-the-line shot, but a cross-court one. His “approach” can be either a damaging baseline inside-out forehand to his opponent’s backhand corner– or even a crushing baseline backhand to his opponent’s backhand corner. The speedy Spaniard then takes a few steps diagonally into the court and is able to cover the entire net, including the line to his right.
The net play displayed by Carlos Alcaraz in the 2022 US Open required exquisite volley technique to execute those shots at the net. However, he also displayed an intention to approach the net on balls where others just don’t see the opportunity. That’s next level.
