Carlos Alcaraz has just arrived in Beijing, where he will try to do better than the semi-final reached last year (when he lost to Jannik Sinner in two sets). The former world number 1 - who did not shine during the American tournaments losing in the second round at the US Open - has given signs of awakening in the Davis Cup and in the Laver Cup, dragging Team Europe to victory against Team World at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has had some ups and downs this season, where he won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships confirming that he is a true predestined. Carlitos also won the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, an exceptional result for a player of just 21 years.
The Spanish ace wants to close 2024 better than he did last year, when he suffered some very painful defeats in the last part of the season. The 21-year-old from Murcia is working to be more consistent throughout the year, otherwise it will be difficult to overtake his great rival Sinner in the ATP ranking. Despite winning two Majors each in 2024, the Italian ace is ahead by more than 4000 points of the Spanish champion. The greater regularity of the 23-year-old from San Candido made the difference, while Alcaraz has suffered some drops at certain times of the season.
Alcarazis inBeijing
During the Laver Cup in Berlin - where he was decisive for the triumph of Team Europe - the former world number 1 complained about the ATP calendar, considering the season too long and exhausting. Alexander Zverev has agreed with him, while current world number 1 Jannik Sinner said that players can choose which tournaments to play during the year.
Before the start of the Beijing ATP 500, the current World No.3 explained his point of view again: "My energy right now is good, I'm motivated to come to China to play good tennis. I will try to win the tournament, as I do in all the ones I attend," Carlos began. "I know many players won't be on my side regarding calendar complaints, but many others will, it depends on each one. For example, Jannik Sinner also attended the press conference here and hardly complained. I speak for myself, that the calendar is very tight from the first week of January to the last week of November... something needs to be done about it. I have seen many people talking about my calendar because I have done many exhibitions, but we need to separate the calendar and the exhibitions, they are different things.
Carlitos also spoke about the Laver Cup: "It was a good feeling. We all go to the Laver Cup to win it, and we wanted to win the cup again after the last two years of Team World domination. It was a good achievement for me. Good tournament, good experience to be with players who are usually rivals, feeling their energy while playing is an incredible experience for me. I played well, which has helped me gain more confidence to come here. I'm ready to achieve a good result, even though I have a tough draw."
A thorny issue
The ATP schedule is very demanding, as the season starts in January and ends at the end of November for those players who participate in the Davis Cup Finals. 2-time Grand Slam champion and World No.1 Sinner invited other players to make precise choices: "Yes, the schedule is quite long in these years, but players can still choose what to play and what not to play. Obviously, we have some mandatory events. As a player, you can still choose, that's what I think. This year we have a very tight schedule, there are many tournaments, but you don't have to participate in a tournament. If you want, you can participate; if not, you don't participate. For example, last year and also this year, I didn't play some tournaments because I wanted to train. There are some decisions behind this, but in general, the season is quite long, so sometimes it's not easy."
Alcaraz is the second seed in Beijing due to the forfeit of Sascha Zverev, who preferred to rest after the Laver Cup. A possible clash with Sinner could only occur in the final and the organizers hope to witness another chapter of their amazing rivalry. The Spanish ace is in the same draw corner as Daniil Medvedev, who reached the final in Beijing last year. The Russian champion has not won a title this year and is trying to get back in his best form.
