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"I’m coming for you" provocation towards Alcaraz and Sinner amazes all

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It did not escape the notice of die-hard fans what happened at the end of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Valentin Royer, an eighth final of the Doha ATP 500 won by the Murcian 6-2, 7-5: the Frenchman, who in the second set put the world number one in serious trouble by first finding himself leading 4-1 and then, later, with a chance to serve for the match at 5-3, decided to take his leave with a warning, certainly in smiling tones but explanatory of Royer’s character, towards Alcaraz himself and Jannik Sinner.

Approaching the Spaniard, Royer smiled and told him, “Someday I will come for you and Jannik, don” don”. Alcaraz’s reply was immediate and equally smiling: “I’ll be waiting for you, man”. It was a peculiar repartee that quickly made the rounds on social media due to the nature of a challenge that at the moment seems very difficult for the whole universe of professional players, since Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been dominating, net of some physiological lapses, world tennis for at least two years.

Francesco LuciveroJannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, new all-out challenge: tennis doesn’t fit

Not just tennis at the'Doha ATP 500: the tournament organized an original activity involving the four highest seeded players in the draw.
In addition to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, special observers of the Qatari event, Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were also present.
In the video spread on social, the four players get out of a car in sportswear but the real tool of their task was not the racket…
The four in fact tried their hand at fishing.
Sinner and companions do in fact board a boat that takes them to sail the waters of the Persian Gulf.
Before starting, Medvedev asks if anyone already has fishing experience; Sinner admits, “I’ve never tried.”
The four wear a white T-shirt and baggy plaid pants and listen attentively to the expert’s instructions on line and bait.
The off and the first to pull up a fish is Medvedev, followed by Alcaraz, Sinner and Rublev, who wrests a laugh from everyone by pretending to wrestle with the fish he just caught. I
The video closes with the four tennis players posing, triumphant, showing the spoils of their entertaining outing in the Persian Gulf.

Beyond the hijinks, the reality is that Royer, 24 years old and currently world No. 60, still has a long way to go to come close to the two dominators of contemporary tennis. In Doha, the Frenchman (who before meeting Alcaraz had swept compatriot Pierre-Hugues Herbert with a clear 6-0, 6-3) showed courage and quality, especially in the second set, but the continuity and level required to compete steadily with the best remains a goal that is still far from being achieved.

The dialogue under the net is still a long way from being achieved.

The dialogue under the net, however, says a lot about the climate of the circuit: the fierce competition gives way to mutual respect and a pinch of irony, with the knowledge that those chasing, from No. 3 down, can still have their say in a dry match, taking advantage of the countless variables that a tennis match can offer as it unfolds.

In Doha, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are aiming to face each other in the final, adding a new chapter to the sporting rivalry between the Murcia native and the Sesto Pusteria outfielder. The two are on opposite sides of the scoreboard: if they continue to overcome the obstacles proposed by their opponents until the semifinals, they will be the protagonists of the tournament’s final act.

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