Carlos Alcaraz became the first male player born in the 2000s to win the US Open in 2022. At 19 years and 4 months, he became the sixth youngest champion ever and entered the new season as the youngest ever world no. 1 in the history of the Open era.
2023 has proven to be a spectacular sequel year for the Spaniard, as he has won 22 of the 23 grand slam matches. A remarkable Wimbledon win was followed by the event in New York, where Carlos aimed to become the only player to defend his title since Roger Federer.
Roger Federer’s locker room assigned to Alcaraz
“Federer was the last one? Well, I have to use that as motivation. It really would be incredible to share that achievement with him. We’ll try and do it. It’s a pretty positive incentive for me.” Alcaraz said.
His attempt at emulating Federer was nullified by Daniil Medvedev, who beat him in the semifinals. He was highly critical of his performance, labelling himself as ‘not mature enough’ later on.
A 2-week break, during which the Spaniard appeared in a bullring, was followed by a visit to Beijing for the China Open. After his exit from the event on Tuesday, he had to quickly hop on a flight to Shanghai for its ATP Masters 1000 tournament. He is making his debut there and is seeded No. 1.
In his visit to the locker rooms in Shanghai, Carlos Alcaraz found himself with yet another connection to the great Swiss. He was assigned the locker room that had historically been assigned to Federer. Federer had sole occupancy of the room for 12 years, starting in 2005.
Such a coincidence could be a sign that the young Spaniard has arrived on the big stage in tennis. Recently, Federer lamented the missed opportunity of playing Carlos Alcaraz before he retired.
Alcaraz opens Shanghai Masters campaign against Gregoire Barrere
Carlos Alcaraz will play the second round match on Friday after getting a bye in the first. He is scheduled to face Frenchman Gregoire Barrere. Gregoire is ranked 73 in the world. An uphill task awaits him in the form of Alcaraz, but the Spaniard will know better than to take Gregoire lightly.
The world no.2 sat down for a press conference followed by an interview, where he shed light on his preparation for the event.
“I haven’t had much time to see the court. I’ll change what i did wrong in the China Open.”, he said.
“Djokovic and Sinner are doing good, but I think Medvedev is the one to beat on hard courts.”, he added.
The Shanghai Open began on October 2 and will run until October 15, with the winner earning $1,262,220 in prize money and 1,000 ATP points. A title triumph would enable Alcaraz on his journey to reclaim the world No. 1 ranking from Djokovic.
Can Carlos Alcaraz build a legacy in tennis akin to the great Roger Federer? And will the Spaniard become world no.1 again this year? Let us know in the comments section below.
