Carlos Alcaraz must improve an aspect to return No.1

08/15/2024 08:00 AM

Carlos Alcaraz has given himself a little relaxation after the hard work of the last two months. The young Spaniard won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, before winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

The former world number 1 dreamed of winning the gold medal for his country, but he had to give up a deluxe version of Novak Djokovic in the final. The four-time Grand Slam champion burst into tears after the match, but he understood the importance of the result and said he will work hard to win the gold medal in the future.

The 21-year-old from Murcia will face Gael Monfils in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati. The French veteran defeated Australian Alexei Popyrin, who was tired after his extraordinary run in Montreal last week. Carlitos has no easy path in Ohio, as he could face Holger Rune in the third round. The Spaniard reached the final in Cincinnati last year, losing to Djokovic at the end of a thrilling match.

His main goal is the US Open, in which he will be the main favourite along with Italian ace Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz recently revealed that he will try to finish the season at the top of the ATP ranking. According to fans and insiders, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will compete for the top titles in the next ten years. The Spaniard has won much more than the Italian so far, but Jannik has made a huge leap in quality over the last year.

In a long interview with Tennis Magazin, Nikola Pilic opened up on Carlitos and Jannik: “Carlos is a very mature talent, the most mature of his generation. I also have a lot of sympathy for 2024 Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner, but for me Carlos is simply the greater talent. He is very active and plays incredible tennis.”

The four-time Grand Slam champion will have to watch out for Gael Monfils in Cincinnati, as the Frenchman will have nothing to lose.

Gael spoke about the upcoming challenge against Carlitos: "It's going to be very tough. Every time I've played against him, I haven't been able to stand in his way or give him a tough battle. It's up to me to try to find something that concerns him. It's good to play against him when you feel good. I want to try to win matches to gain confidence. Now I have won one and, obviously, I want to win again against a good player, but it doesn't have to be against Carlos.

It's always fun to face the best, try to unsettle them, beat them. That's the fun part, playing at night, those are unique moments. Part of me is happy to play against him because I tell myself that I will have to improve my game, but another part of me would have preferred a match against a lower-level player."

Alcaraz will hardly be at the top of his form after the hard work of the last months. The young Spaniard will use the tournament in Cincinnati as a preparation for the US Open 2024, where he will try to improve on the semi-final reached last year. Carlitos needs to get as many points in Cincinnati and at the US Open to reduce the gap from Sinner in the ATP ranking.

"Obviously, being number one is a goal every time I'm behind, and the ATP race is also an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you finish the race at number one, the ATP Ranking is quite similar, so you will also finish as number one. I am very focused on that, going to each tournament thinking about playing great tennis, achieving a good result to improve in the race. Finishing the year as number one is one of my main goals. I am looking forward to it, we'll see” – Alcaraz said during the press conference.

"I am fighting to be number one in the race, it is something I really want to achieve as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future. This is a very important tournament, very good for me. I will try to display great tennis, play at the same level I was playing” – he continued.

The Spanish ace defends fewer points than the Italian in autumn, but his level of play is still not very high on the indoor hard courts. Alcaraz admitted that he had to improve a lot in those particular conditions.