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Carlos Alcaraz and Fabian Marozsan: a duel of geniuses in the art of the "dejada

This Tuesday, the Philippe Chatrier will not only host a tennis match, but a true spectacle of technique, intuition and skill. Carlos Alcaraz and Fabian Marozsan meet at Roland Garros in what could be called the “modern classic of the drop shot”. While serve and forehand still rule the circuit, these two players have found in the drop shot their personal signature, their favorite magic trick.

Alcaraz, current number 3 in the world, is already a regular in this type of duels where strategy and surprise prevail over powerful hitting. He has been practicing it since he was a child, when he used this stroke to deal with physically stronger opponents in his native Murcia. That resource, which he used as a survival weapon, has now become an essential tool in his game. Against Giulio Zeppieri, in his debut in Paris, he hit 15 drop shots. Three ended in a direct point, only one missed, and the rest served to dislocate his opponent and change the rhythm of the exchange.

But the Spaniard will not be alone in this field. In front of him he will have a specialist in the same. Fabian Marozsan, the Hungarian who is steadily climbing steps in the circuit, also has a special relationship with this resource. In his debut against Luca Nardi he used the drop shot 13 times, making the most of it. What's more, he already knows how to hurt Alcaraz with this shot. In Rome, two years ago, when he surprised the Spaniard in the third round, he scored ten points with that shot alone.

The curious thing is that both do not use the drop shot as a last resort, but as an active part of their tactics. It is not a “let's see if it works”, but a thought-out move, sought after, even prepared from the first rally. Alcaraz admits it openly: "I feel when I have to make a drop shot, it just comes to me. Sometimes it's tactical, sometimes it's because I'm blocked. But if I think it's my turn, I do it".

This mentality gives their matches that extra unpredictability. When other opponents seek to punish with powerful groundstrokes, they have no problem to stop the point and force the opponent to run forward, often unsuccessfully.

This is not new for Carlitos. In fact, he has a particular record at Roland Garros with this stroke. In 2023, against Sebastian Korda, he signed 21 drop shots in a single match, seven of them winners. Data like these show why he is considered the player with the best performance in this stroke at the moment. Even former players like Jim Courier, double champion in Paris, praise his ability to “disguise them like nobody else”.

At the other extreme, if anyone in the Big Three has made the drop shot an ally, it has been Novak Djokovic. The Serb, beyond his power and consistency, has also made use of this shot at key moments, especially on clay. But not even Nole reaches the records of Alcaraz.

Tuesday's duel will not only serve to see who advances in the tournament, but to confirm that tennis still has room for creativity. That in a sport where it seems that everything is summed up in power, there is room for the unexpected. And there, Carlos and Fabian have a lot to say.

So stay tuned, because when the match starts, the simplest stroke -apparently- can be the most lethal. And in that, these two are true masters.