What are the physical demands required to win a Grand Slam? With the emergence of performance tracking data, the answer is now clear. Throughout the 2022 US Open, USTA Player and Coach Development will deliver detailed analysis and unprecedented insights regarding the physical capacity required to compete at Grand Slam level using state-of-the-art tracking metrics and analysis of physical output. Learn more about the Physicality Index by clicking here.
Roland Garros finalist Casper Ruud and No. 3 seed Carlos Alcaraz are both vying to win their first Grand Slam title in Sunday's US Open men's singles final. What physical factors are at play as one of these men seek to make tennis history in Arthur Ashe Stadium?
Here’s how the physical factors stack up in the men’s final:
In 2005, an aging Andre Agassi produced one of the most memorable runs in US Open history, winning three consecutive five-set matches to reach the US Open final vs. Roger Federer. This week, we’ve watched a teenage sensation at the start of his career do it again. With five-set wins over Marin Cilic, Jannik Sinner and Frances Tiafoe, Alcaraz is the first player in 17 years to make the US Open final while surviving three matches that have gone the distance.
Not surprisingly, Alcaraz has covered the most mileage of any player to this point, traveling 9.8 miles over his six victories. His greatest physical demands came in the quarterfinals, when Alcaraz recorded an 11 on the Physicality Index, the third-hardest match in this year’s US Open, to outlast Sinner in 5 hours and 15 minutes.
Demonstrating an impressive ability to maintain his explosiveness after sustaining high volumes of work, Alcaraz has hit maximum speeds of 15.2 mph and averaged one explosive movement every three seconds in the fifth sets of his matches.
Meanwhile, Ruud has faced the most physically-demanding match of the tournament and emerged even stronger. After recording a tournament-high 13.2 on the Physicality Index in his third-round win over Tommy Paul, Ruud has benefitted from dropping only two sets in his following three matches. The Roland Garros runner-up has shown a willingness to up the physicality whenever needed: to close out Matteo Berrettini in the third set of their quarterfinal, Ruud recorded a 9.9 on the Physicality Index while performing 251 explosive movements, double the tournament average of 125.
While Ruud should be the fresher player in this matchup due to recent demands, both players have sustained significant physical exertion throughout the tournament, each spending over three hours in-rally. Interestingly, although Alcaraz has covered 42% more high-speed distance than Ruud, the Norwegian has performed 6% more work load over the tournament, meaning he changes direction more frequently. When presented with an attacking opportunity in the ad-court, Alcaraz accumulates distance by often running around the ball to hit a winning forehand.
To counteract this, Ruud will aim to dictate play from the middle of the court by moving the ball from corner to corner, forcing Alcaraz to change direction and increase the load on his legs. Meanwhile, Ruud is most comfortable defending deep behind the baseline and has proven he has the legs to repeatedly accelerate and decelerate until he can transition to the offensive. To move him off his spot, Alcaraz will look to take the ball down the line, use short angles, and apply his exquisite touch on drop shots to make Ruud cover more distance than he’s been required to in recent matches.
