Carlos Alcaraz has regained his best tennis just for the last part of this season. The young Spanish champion - who had lost his motivation after disappointments in Cincinnati and especially at the US Open - has worked hard in the last month and took advantage of two events such as the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup to regain his smile.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion won the ATP 500 in Beijing playing outstanding tennis and defeating his great rival Jannik Sinner in a memorable final. The 21-year-old from Murcia lifted his fourth trophy in 2024 after the Indian Wells Masters 1000, the French Open, and the Wimbledon Championships.
Carlitos also started his run well in the Shanghai Masters 1000, where he beat the two Chinese youngsters Shang and Wu without losing a single set. The Spaniard's next opponent is French veteran Gael Monfils, who won the French derby against his compatriot Ugo Humbert.
The former world No. 1 will try to take revenge tomorrow, as Monfils defeated him in the second round of the Cincinnati Masters 1000 this summer. The Cincinnatis surface was really very fast and Alcaraz played one of the worst matches of his career by his own admission.
Alcaraz is on fire
The Spanish champion wants to further extend his streak of consecutive victories in this last part of the season, and he feels great physically, as he admitted during the press conference.
After defeating Humbert in Shanghai, Monfils was asked if he believes it is possible to beat the 4-time Grand Slam champion again: No, no. I think he will beat me. He will crush me, 100%. I believe I was lucky last time. It was not a good match for him, and I had a good one. His level is incredible. As I say, he is becoming a legend. I imagine he will crush me. I will try everything possible not to be crushed so easily. It's all a bonus.
This does not mean I won't step onto the court with the right attitude, because I already have experience, but speaking from experience, I tell you that this kid is something else. Honestly, there will be a 99% chance for him. It is for that 1% that you go. I will enjoy it, but as a real man, I tell you, this kid is something else.
Alcaraz has been one of the dominators this season along with Sinner. These two young champions seem destined to follow in the footsteps of the Big 3 and have shared equally in the 4 Grand Slam tournaments played this year. Speaking with Eurosport, ATP legend Mats Wilander opened up on Carlitos and Janniks amazing level of tennis: Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner put on such a great, entertaining show in Beijing. To me, its up there with the absolute best sporting events ever.
It keeps happening every single time they play. They come up with suspense, they come up with entertainment. What you see with them is that the match can go any direction. Either of them can win. Neither of them are intimidated by the other person. There are momentum changes in their matches just like any other tennis match, but they dont last that long. They last for five or ten minutes maximum, and then the other guy comes back and does something, and then hes back on top. They are following in the footsteps of the Big Three in terms of level.
I hope Roger, Novak, and Rafa are not listening, but in terms of level, when Sinner and Alcaraz are at their best, there is no way anyone has ever played better tennis, that the tennis ball has done more different, complicated, difficult things than the ball is doing between Sinner and Alcaraz.
The fight for No.1
Next year will be very useful to understand even better the hierarchies between the Italian ace and the Spanish champion. Jannik will try to become even stronger on red clay and grass, while Carlitos will have to be more regular over the course of the season in order to return to the top of the ATP ranking.
Sinner has a substantial lead in the ATP Race and it is almost impossible for him to be overtaken before the end of 2024. The fight for number 1 will open up again at the 2025 Australian Open, where the Italian will have to defend his title. According to bookmakers, Novak Djokovic is still the top favorite at the upcoming Australian Open followed by Alcaraz and Sinner. The Serbian legend has always had a special feeling for Melbourne Park, where he has triumphed 11 times.
