Carlos Alcaraz has really found his best form and is back to express his best tennis for the joy of fans all over the world. The former world number 1 – who won the Beijing tournament in the middle of this week by defeating Jannik Sinner in an epic final – reached the round of 16 at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai without losing a set.
Yibing Wu & Carlos Alcaraz, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
Carlitos’ goal is to do better than last year in this part of the season, when he suffered a sharp decline in 2023 and could not win even a title after the Wimbledon Championships. The Spanish ace has already achieved better results than last season, having won the title in Beijing thanks to a spectacular and very offensive tennis from the baseline. The World number 2 has played an extraordinary season for a player of just 21 years old, having become the youngest player ever to win the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in the same year.
The 21-year-old from Murcia hoped to complete the puzzle by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, where he was the big favourite according to bookmakers. The four-time Grand Slam champion had to bow in the final to a great Novak Djokovic, who realized his greatest dream thanks to an almost unreal performance on the iconic Philippe Chatrier.
Carlitos will face Monfils or Humbert
The Spanish champion wants to continue expressing great tennis in this last part of the season, where he will be the star with his national team also at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The former World No.1 defeated local idol Wu Yibing in Shanghai. “He is recovering his level. He’s coming back from injury, but his level deserves to be at the top for sure,” Alcaraz said at the end of the match. ”If he keeps playing at this level, I’m pretty sure I’m going to see him around more often. I’m just really happy to get through.
I don’t want to say I was surprised, but it was the first time I was playing against him. He just beat Nicolas Jarry really easily, 6-2, 6-2, so that’s impressive. I had to be focused on playing my best. I’m not used to feeling the feelings I had on the court. He is a really powerful player, plays really strong, so I felt like I was not dominating the game” – he added. The Spaniard will face Gael Monfils or Ugo Humbert in the next round.
Carlos Alcaraz, Beijing Open 2024© Stream screenshot
The 21-year-old from Murcia has experienced a very complicated moment after his premature elimination at the US Open, having suffered a sharp drop in motivation and having left tennis for a while. Also for this reason, his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero cried after his triumph in Beijing.
“That’s a good thing to know, I guess. But yeah, I mean, it was a really special win for me, lifting this trophy in front of my team, part of my family. It was a great moment for me. I guess he got emotional at the end because we all know what we went through the last month or the last two months. It was a really difficult moment on the court, off the court” – the Spaniard explained.
Alcaraz was forced to battle hard
Alcaraz was definitely the best player this season together with Sinner. Their level seemed much higher than that of all the opponents, especially after the inevitable drop in Novak Djokovic. The Spanish ace showed extraordinary completeness for a player of his age, while the Italian champion showed an amazing consistency with 61 wins and only 6 losses.
Carlos Alcaraz, Beijing Open 2024© Stream screenshot
Speaking with Sky Sports, Andy Murray’s former coach Miles Maclagan opened up on Alcaraz and Sinner: “You discuss the differences between Alcaraz and Sinner and you say Sinner may be more consistent across the board, but Alcaraz’s best level may be better overall.
His athleticism is phenomenal, the attitude is first class and his shot selection is very rarely wrong. You wonder if he is having a bit of fun at times, but you wonder if that is permitted in his game. I best players learn so quickly and maybe there are a couple of days when Alcaraz off, but he is getting better at that now. We are talking at the very highest level and on the back of the incredible summer he had as a Roland Garros winner and then defending his Wimbledon title, through time he is becoming accustomed to competing at the very, very, very highest level.” Carlitos and Jannik may face off for the fourth time this year in the semi-final of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, but there is still a long way to go.