The opening match of the Alcaraz Rome Masters tonight will have to be played with caution

09/05/2025 13:04:00 PANDATV

At 7 o'clock tonight, Spanish all-round fighter Alcaraz will play the first match of the Rome Masters against Serbian single-regeneration veteran Lajovic. Alcaraz, who has just returned from injury, is still adjusting and needs to build confidence, must be careful.

First, Alcaraz's sudden thigh muscle injury in the ATP 500 Barcelona finals, how well he recovered, medical examination alone cannot fully explain the problem, and it is not enough to test through training, after all, the intensity of training and the tempering of body and mind are far from being comparable to actual combat. It is only through the real battle on the tour that the recovery from the injury can be truly tested. When Alcaraz fights Lajovic tonight, he will definitely hold on a little and get into the groove because the primary goal is to test the recovery from a thigh muscle injury through this match.

Second, after losing to Denmark's Light Rune in the ATP 500 Barcelona final due to injury, Alcaraz waived his card and withdrew from the Madrid Masters, which he won twice in 2022 and 2023. Between then and tonight, almost three weeks have passed, with Alcaraz recuperating from his injuries. Returning to action after a three-week absence from the Tour will be another challenge for Alcaraz, who have been slow to heat up in the game.

Third, the Rome Masters is not Alcaraz's paradise. Prior to this season, Alcaraz's worst performance at the ATP Nine Masters was the Monte Carlo Masters, with only one appearance and no wins; The second is the Rome Masters, the only time in 2023 that it will participate, with one win and one loss. Now that he is playing in the Rome Masters for the second time in his career, Alcaraz has a worrying record in this unfamiliar venue, so what kind of performance will he show tonight?

Fourth, Lajovic, the opponent who clashes with Alcaraz tonight, is not an ordinary person, but a powerful SLR veteran. Born in June 1990, Lajovic is a rare clay expert with his right hand and a one-handed backhand.

At the 2019 Monte Carlo Masters, Lajovic was the runner-up. After winning his first career title at ATP 250 Umag that same year, Lajovic reached a career-high 23rd in the world rankings on 29 April. At the 2023 ATP 250 in Banja Luka, Lajovic put in an excellent performance to win his second career title with victories over two of the world's top 10 players, then-world No. 1 and compatriot Djokovic and Russia's golden monkey Rublev. However, Lajovic's Grand Slam record is average, and the 2014 French Open round of 16 and the 2021 Australian Open round of 16 are Lajovic's best Grand Slam records.

As a veteran who is about to turn 35 years old, Lajovic's power has now declined, and the world ranking has dropped to outside the top 100, and he can only enter the main draw through the qualifying round, and is on the verge of retirement. He has faced Alcaraz four times in his career so far, and Lajovic has won all four matches without winning a set. However, for the fifth meeting tonight, Alcaraz still can't be taken lightly and must be careful.

Because Lajovic on clay, his strength cannot be underestimated, and he is still very dangerous. Lajovic's best performance in a Grand Slam took place on the French Internet clay court. Lajovic's best result at the Masters is a runner-up finish at the Monte Carlo Clay Masters. Lajovic's two career titles so far have come on clay at ATP 250.