"In a weird way, this will do more for his career in the long run than coming here and winning in 100 minutes" - Jon Wertheim on Carlos Alcaraz's 2R comeback win at French Open

Carlos Alcaraz needed four hours and 34 minutes to book his place in the third round of the 2022 French Open, but that shouldn't be considered a negative, according to tennis writer Jon Wertheim. The American is of the opinion that earning such a hard-fought win will benefit the teenager in the long run.

Facing off against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, the World No. 6 saved a match point in the fourth set before going on to win 6-1, 6-7(7), 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-4 in what turned out to be the longest match of his career so far.

Speaking on the Tennis Channel, Wertheim opined that it was very impressive to see the sixth seed grind his way through the match. The journalist pointed out that tennis is not as binary as most fans think and that ugly wins are inevitable at some point in every player's career.

Now that Alcaraz has proven that he can win even when he is not playing at his best, Jon Wertheim reckons the Spaniard can play much more freely in the tournament.

"We think of tennis as so binary, right? You win or you lose. But there are so many different ways to win and lose, sometimes you are hitting great and other times you have to crawl on the mud and eat slugs and grind through," Wertheim said. "That was the case today, and in a weird way, this will do more for his career. This will do more in the long run than coming here and winning in 100 minutes. That was very impressive and it's nice to be 19."

"Carlos Alcaraz is an aggressive player and it wasn't easy for him to attack but he found ways to get it done" - Chanda Rubin

Chanda Rubin also praised Carlos Alcaraz for grinding out the win despite not playing at his very best

Chanda Rubin, Jon Wertheim's co-commentator during the Tennis Channel segment, echoed a similar sentiment. The American remarked that it was always going to be difficult for Carlos Alcaraz against Albert Ramos-Vinolas since the latter is a seasoned veteran and a claycourt specialist.

"This could have always been a tough match because [Albert] Ramos Vinolas is such a veteran, he understands how to play on clay. He's got the leftie spin," Rubin said. "There were so many challenges for Carlos Alcaraz, and especially with all of the pressure that he has on him right now because of how great he has been."

Like Wertheim, Rubin was also mighty impressed with the teenager for hanging in there and grinding out the win, adding that he would benefit immensely from these kinds of encounters where he has to problem-solve off the cuff.

"But this was a match he had to get down and fight, battle through some tough moments when he didn't play his best tennis, when the match-up maybe wasn't ideal. That, for me, was most impressive," Rubin said. "A lot of players have to go through a match like this, where you find a way to get through it and it elevates your game. [Carlos Alcaraz] is an aggressive player and it wasn't easy for him to attack but he found ways to get it done and that's how your game grows."

Up next, Carlos Alcaraz will cross swords with Sebastian Korda in the third round of the French Open. Their head-to-head is currently tied at 1-1, with Korda winning their most recent encounter at the 2022 Monte-Carlo Masters. A win against the American would pit the sixth seed against either Cameron Norrie or Karen Khachanov in the fourth round.