After Jannik Sinner had to withdraw from the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy due to an intestinal virus, the top favorite for the victory certainly became Carlos Alcaraz. The former world number 1 has never excelled in this tournament, where he struggles to express his best tennis for his own admission.
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The young Spanish champion does not particularly like indoor conditions and tends to struggle playing his best tennis in the last part of the season, when he becomes more tired and confused on the tennis court. The four-time Grand Slam champion - who last year was eliminated by Roman Safiullin in the second round - defeated ATP aceNicolas Jarry in a match conditioned by many unforced errors. The 21-year-old from Murcia wasted a break in the first set and risked making life difficult, but a drop by Jarry in the deciding moment allowed him to win the set 7-5.
The second set was much smoother in favor of the current world number 2, who however gave many chances to his opponent on his servant. The feeling is that Carlitos will have to raise his level if he wants to achieve a great result in the last Masters 1000 of 2024. According to the latest rumors, the Paris-Bercys courts have been further accelerated this year, perhaps too much.
Very fast courts
It is rumored that the surface is the fastest not only this year, but of the last decade. The players had already encountered very fast courts in Cincinnati this summer, with Alcaraz complaining a lot after losing to Gael Monfils in the second round. "Are they faster than Cincinnati? The truth is that my feeling was that this was the second fastest, behind Cincinnati, but it's noticeable that the ball slides once it bounces. You have to get used to it, but I think it's challenging for the spectators because it's hard to see long rallies. I have to spend hours working on these courts, and I'm feeling good the Spaniard explained during the press conference.
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He also talked about the match: I think I played really good tennis in the first set, but at the end it was complicated. Im just really happy to get through the opening set, it was really important for me to come into the second with more confidence. I need time to get used to the speed of the court. Its been two years since I have won a match here in Paris-Bercy, so everytime that I keep going is a gift for me.
The world number 2 will face the winner of the match between local idol Ugo Humbert and American ace Marcos Giron. Despite some downturns during the season, Alcaraz can be very satisfied with his 2024. The former world number 1 has won two Grand Slam titles, became the youngest player ever to win the French Open and Wimbledon Championships in the same year, won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 for the second year in a row and won the silver medal at the Paris Olympics.
An excellent season
The defeat against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Olympic tournament is perhaps his greatest regret, so much so that it affected him during the following tournaments in Cincinnati and US Open. The Spanish ace won the ATP 500 in Beijing by playing a great tennis match against Sinner in the final.
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After being eliminated by Tomas Machac in Shanghai, Carlitos flew to Saudi Arabia to play the first edition of the 'Six Kings Slam'. Alcaraz defeated Holger Rune in the quarterfinals and Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals, before giving up to Sinner in a beautiful final. Many fans and insiders have criticized this exhibition for the excessive prize money reserved for participants.
In a recent interview, the four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he went to Saudi Arabia for economic reasons: Well, I mean, if I say I went there just for fun or to play and forget the money, Im gonna lie. Thats obviously. I mean, every person work for that, as well. You know, thats how life is about. You know, I love playing tennis. You know, most of the time I dont think about the money. I just play for love or for fun. But you have to be realistic. You have to think that you want to earn money, you know, and thats it. You know, in Arabia is the most highest prize money ever in the history, so that was a good motivation, at least for me. After the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, Carlos will play the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
