Former British no.1 John Lloyd is impressed with the depth in Men’s tennis after watching Carlos Alcaraz battle it out against lucky loser Adam Walton. The Spaniard, who was playing his first match after the epic Roland Garros final against Jannik Sinner, registered a 6-4, 7-6 win against the Australian.
The World No.1 survived a scare in the second set as he had to save two sets with Walton serving at 5-4. However, Alcaraz was able to save them and won the match in straight sets.
“That’s scary. I would give him about an eight out of 10. First match on grass and you come up against someone who has played some matches,” Lloyd told BBC Sport.
“But the scary thing for me is how strong the men’s game is, when Adam Walton lost in the qualifying. That’s how good the standard is. He pushed Alcaraz in the second set.
The former British player hailed Alcaraz’s attitude as he feels the Spaniard enjoys himself on the court.
“I thought Carlos played well. He just has to clean up a few things. First day back movement, maybe the returns are not as good as normal, at his best. But for his first game back at least an eight out of 10.
“I like the way he interacts with the crowd and he’s just so happy to be out here. When he hits a great shot it’s not arrogance but he does that smile and he just enjoys it as much as the crowd. He is so fabulous as an entertainer.”
Alcaraz was happy with his level in his first grass match of the season.
“He has played a few matches already on grass, so I am going to say that he is a little more experienced this year on grass, coming from a few matches,” said Alcaraz, who plays compatriot Jaume Munar on Thursday.
“It is better than no matches in the bag. But I am really happy with the performance I had today. First match, I feel great.