After debuting as world no. 1 at the turn of the year in 2023, Carlos Alcaraz played great tennis through the season, winning multiple ATP titles and the Wimbledon crown. Nevertheless, it didn’t match up to the sheer volume of rival Novak Djokovic’s successes and the rampant Serbian usurped the top ranking from Alcaraz.
Despite losing out on crucial points over the course of the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz now has the chance of regaining the coveted top spot by racking up wins at the year-end tournaments, events that Djokovic has no points to gain from.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Shanghai setback spurs a strategic pause
After enduring a shock loss to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in the Shanghai Open fourth round, Carlos Alcaraz decided to take some time out to reevaluate his strategy and come back stronger for the rest of the year’s tournaments.
Losing out on crucial Masters 1000 ATP points in China meant that Alcaraz had fewer tournaments to fulfill his goal of ending the year as world No. 1. In a strategic move, the Spaniard, along with his team, moved back to Spain for a short while in order to recuperate, energise and form new plans that would enable the superstar to play well in the upcoming Paris Masters event. According to reports, Carlos Alcaraz will train on his physical condition at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in Spain.
The heated battle for the top spot in the ATP rankings is heading to a thrilling close as Djokovic and Alcaraz battle it out at the end of 2023. For Djokovic, no points to be gained in the Paris Masters plus his absence at the Chinese events meant an advantage was provided to Alcaraz, who, although squandered it in Shanghai, can nevertheless regain lost ground in France.
The rivalry between the pair has really increased in ferocity this year and has provided some epic battles for tennis fans to rejoice in, based on the side they choose to support. For Alcaraz fans, the Wimbledon final is the zenith of success, but for Djokovic fans, two wins this year over Alcaraz should provide happiness.
Djokovic moves over Alcaraz after US Open win
After his 2022 US Open title run, Carlos Alcaraz had over 2000 points to defend this year and thus had no points to gain. This gave Novak Djokovic, 2023’s French Open winner, Australian Open winner and Wimbledon finalist, a ripe opportunity to go the distance and move ahead of Alcaraz at the top.
Spirited performances saw the Spaniard reach the semifinals, where he was ousted by Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic, however, displayed some uncommon tenacity for a man his age and won the US Open title for the fourth time in his career.
The win saw him become world no. 1 yet again, and he currently has 11545 ATP points, which is a lot more than Alcaraz’s 8715. For Alcaraz to regain the first ranking, he would have to win the Paris Masters in addition to great performances in the ATP Nitto Finals and other tournaments.
Novak Djokovic will once again end the year as No. 1 ATP Ranking ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OTLW3n7cky
— We Love Tennis (@welovetennis01) October 14, 2023
A China Open and Shanghai Open win would have smoothed the road to the top for Alcaraz, but now, with the task that much tougher, the Spaniard is ensuring he stays in shape for the remainder of the season.
What are your takes on Alcaraz’s tactical decision to move back to Spain? Will he regain his world no.1 ranking? Let us know in the comments section below.
