Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 has been characterized by some very good moments and some negative ones. The young Spaniard did not start well the season being eliminated by Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, before suffering a ankle injury during the tournament of San Paolo.
The 21-year-old from Murcia recovered in time for the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells, where he achieved his second consecutive triumph by defeating Daniil Medvedev once again in the final. Carlitos surrendered to a great Grigor Dimitrov in Miami, before an injury to his forearm affected his first tournaments on red clay.
The former world number 1 was forced to skip the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo and arrived in poor conditions in Madrid, where he failed to defend his title by losing to Andrey Rublev. To avoid worsening the condition of his forearm, the 4-time Grand Slam champion decided to give up the Masters 1000 in Rome and return directly to the French Open.
After struggling in the first rounds, Alcaraz has raised his level and won the Roland Garros for the first time in his career. That triumph gave him the motivation to win the Wimbledon Championships, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in the final for the second year in a row.
Carlos Alcaraz, Wimbledon 2024© Stream screenshot
The Spanish ace was also a great favorite to win the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, since the Olympic tournament took place in the same venue as the French Open. The current world number 2 reached the final without losing a single set, but had to give way to Djokovic just one step from the finish.
That loss had serious repercussions on the mind of Alcaraz, who disappointed expectations both in Cincinnati and at the US Open. His level was very high again in the Davis Cup and in the Laver Cup, which anticipated his triumph at the ATP 500 in Beijing. Carlitos has a remarkable winning streak before being defeated by Tomas Machac in Shanghai.
The Spanish champion recently participated in the ‘Six Kings Slam’ in Saudi Arabia, where he lost to Jannik Sinner at the end of a truly incredible final. The level of play that is Alcaraz is able to express at just 21 years has shocked everyone, as well as his ability to perform any type of shot on the tennis court.
Patrick McEnroe on Carlitos
In an interview with Tennis Channel, Patrick McEnroe – who got to see Carlos up close during the Laver Cup in Berlin – praised the four-time Grand Slam champion: “That’s the thing that stood out to me the most. How professional these guys are, their attention to detail of everything they do and watching them play up close and personal is amazing.
Alcaraz© Alcaraz Facebook/Fair Use
I marvel over the course of every new generation of players, watching Alcaraz this year was like these guys are taking it to another level. You are always wondering how can the game get better, how can players improve? Then you watch this guy taking the ball pretty much on the dead run, early, cutting the angle off and hitting like a Mac-10. Like it’s normal. Like that’s a normal play. That to me is just amazing to watch up close and personal.”
Alcaraz will help Rafa
The world number 2 will be one of the favorites in Paris-Bercy next week, where he can certainly improve on last year’s result. The last Masters 1000 of the season will be the perfect opportunity to refine his game in view of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. His goal is to close 2024 as the world number 2 behind his great rival Sinner.
The four-time Grand Slam champion wants to achieve a major result also at the Davis Cup Finals, where Rafael Nadal will say goodbye to professional tennis. The latter decided to end his career after more than two decades, being aware that he could no longer be competitive at the highest levels.
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz© X screenshot
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, American ace Ben Shelton revealed that Alcaraz and Dimitrov are the two players he likes to watch most: “I love watching Carlos Alcaraz and Grigor Dimitrov, I would say they are my two favorite players. Alcaraz is a tremendous athlete, can hit any shot, entertains the crowd, and always plays with a smile. I like watching a player with personality; it gives me the feeling that I’m enjoying someone who entertains but also competes at the highest level. Grigor plays tennis beautifully. Much of what he is capable of is similar to what Roger did. Perfect technique, slice backhand, serve. Every shot is technically polished, that’s why I love watching him.”