Carlos Alcaraz's level had dropped in the second half of last season. The young Spanish champion had not won any titles after the Wimbledon Championships, feeling very sad after being defeated by Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 final. The 21-year-old from Murcia has never hidden that he does not really like very fast surfaces, where he is not yet able to play his best tennis. The 2-time Grand Slam champion is a very talented and complete player, who has many solutions on the tennis court, but he needs the right time to use his strategies well.
Unlike 2023, Carlitos is playing better in this latter part of the season and clinched the title in Beijing a few weeks ago. The former world number 1 on the other hand didnt shine in the Rolex Paris Masters last week, where he was eliminated by French Ugo Humbert in the round of 16.
Alcaraz has practiced with his coach at the Ferrero Tennis Academy in recent days and is ready for the Nitto ATP Finals, in which he will make his debut against Casper Ruud on Monday. His opponents in the 'John Newcombe group' will also be Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.
Carlitos learned a lot in 2024
Before the start of the Nitto ATP Finals, the Spaniard reflected on his amazing season (in which he won two Grand Slam titles): It is impossible to rate it 10 out of 10 as you can always be better but it was a really amazing year for me. I would say eight and a half or nine. It could have been better with the gold medal or other tournaments but I would say 8.5.
The world No.3 continued: I learned a lot this year. I know myself more as a person and a player: what I need to do, what I need, on and off the court. Some of my losses this year were really painful for me: what I have to do, to train on days off. It is not only a goal on the court but also what you have to do on days off: how many days to take before going to the tournament, before it starts to prepare as best.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion is ready to show his best tennis in the most important event of the ATP schedule: When I smile on court I show my best tennis, my best shots. I try to play solid but aggressively and need to do it perfectly if I am to lift the trophy. I come here with the goal to win. I want to put this trophy next to the others and it is a good goal. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I need to play my best. The huge news of the ceremony draw is that Alcaraz and Sinner will not face each other in the group stage. In fact, fate has decided that Jannik will be in the same group of Russian ace Daniil Medvedev while the Spaniard will be with World No.2 Sascha Zverev.
The clash between the two young champions is postponed to the semifinals or final, if of course they manage to pass their round robin. It must be said that Medvedev and Zverev have already won the year-end Master at least once. The German triumphed in 2018 and 2021, while the Russian in London four years ago.
The court is slower than last year
According to former Spanish ace Alex Corretja, Carlitos will play a great tournament this year: "Alcaraz is going to arrive in Turin at a great time. Why? Because he has recently won some tournaments on a hard court, especially beating Sinner in the final, which always gives you a dose of confidence.
Although in Paris-Bercy he did not play his best tennis, the court was a little faster than he he likes it. In the ATP Finals it is true that everything is very open, that the groups are very difficult and that everyone arrives very mentally saturated, somewhat physically affected. But I believe that Carlos has learned from the past and is going to arrive a little fresher than last season."
Last year, the Spaniard's run ended against Nole Djokovic in the semifinal. Alcaraz had lost the first match of the round robin against Zverev, before winning the second and third matches. During the semifinal against Djokovic, Carlos realized that he didn't have the weapons to put the Serbian legend in trouble on such a fast surface. According to the latest rumors, the court is a little bit slower than last year and this factor could help Carlitos.
