I was a little torn about, whether I should cover this year’s US Open 2022 finals, since arguably the best player is not allowed to play, but the way the finals were lined up, I can’t pass on posting the racket match up analysis. There will be so much on the line, a new Grand Slam Champion, a new number 1, and perhaps the most importantly, a first look at many other GS finals in the coming years.
The 2022 US Final will be featuring Casper Ruud and Carlos Alcaraz. Another reason I’m eager to write this match-up analysis is that I haven’t covered any of these players jet and I’m not repeating my self as I have over the years in many GS finals.
Both of these players are using the modern style rackets, with lover mass and a lot of power. They need to hit the cover off the ball at all times in order to have the depth of shots and control lover the ball that is needed. This also means they can go on hot streaks (especially Alcaraz) or periods when the tennis is not so impressive. It will be interesting to see who can maintain their level high the longest while coping with the pressure and the scope of the occasion. Casper Ruud might have an edge here, because he is more experienced, and he already lost a GS final, and has been building his form up for years, while Carlos seems like he just arrived and is ready to dominate the world of tennis – we’ll see if he has what it takes.
Casper Ruud uses an extended Yonex Ezone 100 racket with some weight in the handle and in the hoop. The swing weight is around 340 and with 33,5 balance and 330 g mass.
Carlos uses the Babolat Aero VS racket, with, like Babolat says, a very unremarkable specification. Strung specs amount to around 330 SW, 32,5 cm balance and 330g mass
Let’s take a look at the Mass, Balance and Swingweight comparison.
Casper Ruud with a higher swingweight and balance (less headlight), which means he needs more time to prepare and execute his strokes and needs to have perfect footwork and be balanced when he hits the ball.
Carlos uses a low swinghweight and uses a grip size 4, which results in his raw power game style, where he needs to power through every contact. He muscles through his stroke mechanics and doesn’t use the kinetic chain on his strokes so much. It’s proving effective for him as he can shorten the swings and accelerate the racket on a short distance, especially on his forehand side. That’s why his game is the most effective on hard courts because he can take the ball early while shortening the swings. It’s especially telling on short low balls, that he has no problems dispatching. His more open eastern grip also helps with that, like it does for Roger Federer, who is also one of the players who does this perfectly. On top of that, Carlos extends his arm through the contact, because of the more open grip style, and this increases his effective SW during the contact.
Ruud on the other hand can also take the ball early, but in general needs more time to be able to attack, but can keep the ball deep and high more consistently preventing Alcaraz to step in the court to take the ball early with the forehand or use the forehand drop shot. His setup with higher balance, SW and smaller grip gives him more ability to consistently keep the ball deep with heavy topspin, while taking less risk than Carlos on every shot.
The match up is favourable for Carlos, as Ruud’s racket does not give him the ability for precise targeting (100 head and extension) and can only bully Carlos through the center of the court, and can’t really get him off position that often. But his topspin and depth might still keep Carlos behind the baseline long enough for Ruud to start opening up angles with his forehand. How often these things happen will come down to fatigue also, Carlos should have less in the tank, but he is very fit and young, so let’s see. And like I mentioned, any game plan can fall apart when all those things are on the line in this match.
The biggest question for me now is how Carlos is feeling and what will the conditions be like. I believe we will have a real match on our hand and I’m excited to see who can step up and win their first grand slam.
Remember that this is just the racket match-up analysis, and there are many other factors in play, but to me, the understanding of what the racket enables you to is the foundation of how you build your game and strategy around that.
I try to make the finals more interesting as you can observe the different rackets and strategies behind them at work. If you are interested in more racket specs that tour players use, check my database.