Carlos Alcaraz has put the gloomy post-US Open period behind him, not only thanks to the triumph - where he was decisive - in the Laver Cup, but also for the official qualification to the ATP Finals that will be played in Turin. The Spaniard, by virtue of the results achieved in the first week of the Asian swing, has officially punched the pass for the year-end Master, where he will seek his first title in the competition.
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A piece of news that certifies the sensational season of the young Spaniard, and that comes a couple of days after he dragged Team Europe to their fifth success in the Laver Cup, thanks to the decisive victory obtained against Taylor Fritz in two sets,
Alcaraz is the third tennis player able to qualify for the yera-end Masters Tournament, after Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, that is, the players who currently occupy the 1st and 2nd position in the ATP world ranking.
For Carlitos it will be the second participation after his debut last year; in 2022, despite the great season he had, he had to give up due to an abdominal injury. In 2023, Alcaraz managed to gain access to the semifinals despite a negative start. The defeat suffered against Zverev in the first Round Robin match, however, perhaps gave him the motivation he needed to raise his head. The young Spanish champion clearly defeated both Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev in the next two matches. In the semifinals, Novak Djokovic - the eventual winner of the tournament - gave him a tough tennis lesson: 6-3, 6-2.
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Alcaraz will come backto the court this week at the ATP 500 tournament in Beijing and will challenge Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. His side of the draw includes Karen Khachanov, Alexander Bublik and Medvedev.
Meanwhile, Carlitos has regained his lost form after the final at the Paris Olympic Games. The Spaniard, following the painful defeat against Novak Djokovic, who snatched the gold medal from him, has gone through a period of decline, during which he has not been able to express himself at his best.
The first-round exits at Cincinnati and the US Open have weighed heavily on his head, but a few weeks later, the 4-time Grand Slam champion seems to have found himself again, but above all his tennis. Proof of this is the wonderful week he spent in Berlin with his teammates in the Laver Cup, in which he delighted the crowd: a crowd (with media, insiders and fans) that began to make comparisons with Roger Federer.
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Carlos was the real driving force behind the victory of Team Europe, with three victories in the four matches played, two of which on Sunday, where each match was worth three points. During the award ceremony, the 21-year-old was asked for his opinion on a rather important comparison that his opponents gave him, the one with Roger Federer.
"I am very far from that level. I hope to reach it one day but it is impossible. They will have to change it because that is Roger's," he said with great humility.
"I'm really happy, obviously our goal was to win the Laver Cup. We did it. It was a great feeling. I'm not going to lie. Celebrating with the other guys on the team is an even better feeling. So personally I'm really happy. After Zverev's match that he did really well it was time for me to do my job. I was a little bit nervous. I tried not to show Taylor that I was nervous but I think I played one of my best matches so far. I tried to be as calm as possible. Obviously having the other guys on the team supporting me behind me, it's something that gives energy and helps you get the most out of it," he added.
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