Carlos Alcaraz was delivered a damning assessment from a colleague, and fellow tennis player after the Spaniard endured a mixed start to his quest for a maiden Nitto ATP Finals title. Alcaraz lost in three sets to Alexander Zverev before roaring back to defeat Andrey Rublev on Wednesday night.
His loss to Sasha, which was a new addition to his recent slump in form, reaffirmed his own words of ‘not feeling up to it at the end of the season, and the assessment from his upcoming opponent added the required spice to their contest.
Medvedev delivers Alcaraz verdict
After his ousting from the Paris Masters via a shock loss to Roman Safiullin, Carlos Alcaraz was left distraught at not finding the right form at the end of the year. 2023 has been a successful year for the Spaniard, as he battled for his first Wimbledon title in July.
However, losses at the US Open, Shanghai Open and Paris Masters have seen him lose a bit of form and the chance to overtake Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings. Daniil Medvedev has kept a keen eye on the 20-year-old’s game and had a fair bit to say regarding his opponent’s game.
“Carlos plays just a little bit slower. He doesn’t have the same confidence he had throughout the whole year,” Daniil said.
The analysis and comments shared by Medvedev should rile up Alcaraz, who regained composure and dominance last night in Turin when he defeated world no. 6 Andrey Rublev in straight sets.
Ahead of his third round robin game, Alcaraz will keep his ears open for any build-up to the contest and take it in stride. The stakes are high next time around, as a loss for Alcaraz would more or less knock him out of the semi-final race.
Thus, Carlos Alcaraz will look to build up rage, adrenaline and momentum ahead of his upcoming clash and utilize it to perform better than the previous time to fulfill his goal of winning his first ATP Finals crown.
Alcaraz to face Medvedev in his third group game
Each player plays three round-robin games, and the top two from either of the four-player groups—Green and Red—will progress to the semi-final. Currently, Daniil Medvedev has played two and won two, while Alcaraz has won one and lost one.
Medvedev is the only one to remain unbeaten in his group, with Zverev and Alcaraz having won one each and Rublev having lost both of his games. Thus, a win is paramount for Carlos Alcaraz as he takes to the court for his final game of the round-robin stage against Daniil Medvedev.
The match has already had quite a preview, with Medvedev’s comments on Alcaraz building up some tension between the two. A win for Medvedev would make him a semifinalist, while Alcaraz would have to await the results of the Rublev vs. Zverev match to determine his fortunes.
Carlos Alcaraz would like to ensure that his form developed through the year is put to good use and he takes revenge on Medvedev after the rangy Russian unceremoniously dumped him out of the US Open. The clash promises to be a highly entertaining affair.
What are your opinions on the possible tension-filled match between Alcaraz and Medvedev? Let us know in the comments section below.
