Carlos Alcaraz had his fans worried after losing to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 US Open. The former world number 1 had one of the worst performances of his young career, losing three sets to zero and making huge mental steps back. The young Spanish champion took longer than expected to digest his defeat against Serbian legend Novak Djokovic in the final of the Olympic tournament, when he seemed close to winning the gold medal for his country.
Carlos Alcaraz© YouTube screenshot
The four-time Grand Slam champion – who won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships this year – has regained his best feeling thanks to victories in the Davis Cup in Valencia and in the Laver Cup in Berlin. The Spanish ace is playing very well in Beijing, where he reached the semi-finals without losing a set. Carlitos defeated the young Frenchman Mpetshi Perricard in his debut, Tallon Griekspoor in the round of 16 and Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals.
His next opponent tomorrow will be another Russian, former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev. The 21-year-old from Murcia has already beaten Medvedev twice this year – at Indian Wells and the Wimbledon Championships – proving he has the right weapons to put the champion in trouble from Moscow.
The Spaniard is back to the top
Alcaraz is motivated and hungry, wanting to close 2024 with a great result. His main goals are the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Alcaraz seems to have returned to his level, which all fans expect after the surprising defeat in the second round of the US Open. The Spaniard has in fact accumulated 7 consecutive victories between the Davis Cup, Laver Cup and the ATP 500 of Beijing, in which he reached the semifinals.
The Spanish tennis player won a great victory in China on Monday against Russian ace Karen Khachanov: in important moments, the young man from El Palmar has managed to take the inertia out of his hands and win two sets. The test of nine will probably come in the next round: the 21-year-old must challenge the other Russian Daniil Medvedev, one of the most fearsome players on hard court, to earn a place in the final.
Rafael Nadal and Carlitos Alcaraz© @DAZN_ES X account
The victory allowed Carlitos to climb again to second place in the ATP world ranking: Alcaraz has virtually surpassed (in the next few days officially with the update of the classification) Alexander Zverev by just 5 points. An exchange of positions that also took place in the race, where we basically play a second valuable place in the draw for the groups at the Turin Finals (the second is already certain to avoid Jannik Sinner in the round robin).
The 2003 class, already on Sunday in the match dominated by Tallon Griekspoor, has conquered the coveted 200 claims. Alcaraz became the second player to achieve this record: ahead of all the American legend John McEnroe, immediately after Carlitos who managed it before his great compatriot Rafael Nadal. Mats Wilander, Jimmy Connors and Boris Becker. Only 50 victories separate Alcaraz from Jannik Sinner, who has a few more years of militancy in the major circuit.
Carlitos is on fire
During the press conference, the new World No.2 commented on his performance: “I always try to put some pressure on my opponents when they are serving, in a way that makes them see that I am there, ready for the battle. If they want to win their service game, if they want to beat me, they will have to accept the challenge and play at a very high level of tennis.
That’s what I try to show them all the time. In this case, against Khachanov, I tried to pressure him on every point, every return, to see if he would get nervous, miss some first serves, and with the second serve, be in a position to attack continuously. I had some break opportunities at 4-all. I didn’t capitalize on them, but that game helped me for the next ones. I could have gotten that break because I was consistently making my returns, playing good points, and then capitalizing on the chances he gave me. Happy to have finally broken his serve.”
Carlos Alcaraz© @cazgifs X account
According to some insiders, Carlitos should change his schedule in the future to avoid injuries. The Spanish ace suffered a forearm injury that severely limited him in spring, forcing him to miss the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and Rome. The former world number 1 also missed out on the Montreal Masters 1000 after the Olympic tournament and was eliminated at his debut in Cincinnati, results that explain the huge gap that separates him from Sinner in the ATP ranking.