Carlos Alcaraz's run at the Nitto ATP Finals ended earlier than expected. The former world No. 1 who had high expectations for this tournament was eliminated already in the group stage. It is fair to point out how health problems affected the Spaniard's performances in Turin, especially in his first match against Casper Ruud. That two-set-to-love loss did not allow him to qualify for the semifinals, although Carlitos defeated Andrey Rublev in his second match.
The 4-time Grand Slam champion played good tennis against Alexander Zverev yesterday and had his chances in both sets, but the German seemed to suffer in these conditions. Sascha is playing the best tennis of his entire career and found some truly incredible solutions in the decisive moments of the match.
The last game was truly spectacular: the Spanish ace gave his best, but Zverev placed a couple of winners that shocked even his young rival. The 21-year-old from Murcia congratulated Sascha at the end of the match and wished him good luck for the rest of the tournament.
Alcaraz worsened last year's result in Turin, as he had reached the semifinals in 2023 by losing to Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz's season is not over
Carlitos' season is not over yet. The Spanish ace will be one of the protagonists of the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Malaga next week. This event has always had huge significance for Alcaraz, who will be the leader of Spanish team in this edition. The world number 3 wants to shine in Malaga, because it will be the last official event of the career of his illustrious compatriot Rafael Nadal.
During the press conference after his match against Zverev, Alcaraz admitted that it is not easy for him to play well at this point of the year: "Yeah, it is not easy. It is not easy, at least for me, traveling a lot in this part of the year. I miss home. I want to spend time with my close people at home. I have to travel. I have to play more tournaments, more matches.
But anyway, as I said, I have to find it enjoyable playing these kind of tournaments, because is a privilege. But, yeah, next year I will try to be better on that part.
Carlitosearned almost 10 million dollars
Despite having some ups and downs, the Spanish champion's season has been very bright. At just 21 years old, he won Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same season, becoming the youngest ever to achieve this prestigious milestone.
In 2024, the 21-year-old from Murcia also won the Indian Wells Masters 1000 for the second time in a row, the ATP 500 in Beijing and the silver medal at the Olympic Games. In 2024, the world number 3 earned almost 10 million dollars. This incredible number is set to increase further if he achieves a good result together with Spain at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
After the Davis Cup, the 4-time Grand Slam champion will be able to rest and start thinking about next season. It is not clear whether or not Carlos will play a tournament as a preparation for the 2025 Australian Open, where he will look to win his fifth Major title. His main opponents in Melbourne will be Jannik Sinner, Sascha Zverev and Nole Djokovic, who has always played very well in Australia. Although the Serbian is 37 years old and plays few tournaments, he is always a danger and should never be underestimated.
In his latest press conference, the Spaniard reflected on Djokovics chances at the 2025 AO: A really dangerous player. I mean, he deserves to choose what tournaments hes going to play.
Weve seen before that it doesnt matter that he doesnt play an official match for two, three, four months because hes going to come again and be able to win the tournament, be able to show a really high level of tennis.
So in Australian Open, is depend of the hungry he is. If he goes to Australia with hunger, he is going to be one of the favorites to win Australia. Lets see.
Hes going to be fresh, for sure. A lot of time with his family, kids, wife. Have time to practice a lot, which is pretty good for a tennis player coming to a tournament with motivations. Is going to be a fun player to watch, for sure.
The Australian Open is the Grand Slam tournament in which Alcaraz has struggled the most up to this point ofhis career. His best result in Melbourne was the quarter-finals reached this year, when he was defeated by Zverev.
