Carlos Alcaraz has been cautioned that he must alter his schedule if he wants to continue competing at the highest level. At the Shanghai Masters, the world No. 2 crashed out in the round of 16 and experienced a dismal exit during the Asian tour. Alcaraz was also advised by Spaniard Alex Corretja to review his timetable going forward.
Alcaraz competed in his maiden Asian swing this year while attempting to gain some additional ranking points in order to end the year as the top player in the world. However, the 20-year-old lost both of his matches. In Beijing, he advanced to the semifinals but fell to Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz lost in Shanghai in the round of 16 against Grigor Dimitrov, which was his first setback since May. After being eliminated, Alcaraz acknowledged he missed many chances to finish the year as the No. 1 player and made a commitment to attempt to give it his all in his final three competitions.
The world No. 2 has now received direction from former tennis player Àlex Corretja, who thinks the results aren’t alarming but indicates that Alcaraz needs to change his schedule. Corretja said in an interview: “Alcaraz’s Asian tour is not worrying. I don’t give it any importance. Every tournament, every week, every game is a learning experience for Alcaraz. His season is spectacular. Maintaining 100% in the 80 games, he plays a year is impossible.”
He added: “One of the keys for Alcaraz is to select the calendar well, due to travel, training, and changes in schedules and hotels.”
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
Now the world no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 11th of October when he surrendered to world no.19 Grigor Dimitrov 5-7 6-2 6-4 in the 4th round in Shanghai (draw).
This year Carlos has managed to achieve an overall 63-9 record. Carlos clinched 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. Alcaraz was the finalist in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
He is also scheduled to play in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters) after Basel. The main draw will start on the 23rd of October.
Carlos Alcaraz |
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