Carlos Alcaraz has been in remarkable form, capturing titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and securing a singles silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Now, the 21-year-old Spaniard has set his sights on a significant goal: finishing 2024 as the ATP Year-End No. 1.
Alcaraz enters the Cincinnati Open just 450 points behind Jannik Sinner in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, the key indicator for year-end No. 1 ranking. Alcaraz is determined to close this gap and secure the top spot.
“Obviously being No. 1 is a goal every time that I am [behind] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you end the race No. 1, in the rankings [it is] quite similar, so you’re going to end the No. 1,” Alcaraz stated. “So I’m really focused on that. I’m focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing a good result just to get better in the race, and this year, ending the year as No. 1 is one of my main goals right now. So I’m looking forward to doing it and let’s see.”
Alcaraz’s focus on securing the top ranking is evident in his approach to each tournament. He recognizes that Sinner, who had been leading the race for most of the season, is a formidable competitor. However, Alcaraz’s recent successes have put him in close contention for the top spot.
“I’m fighting for being No. 1 in the race, that’s something that I really want to do as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future,” Alcaraz emphasized. “This one is a really important tournament, really good tournament for me. So I’m going to try to play good tennis, try to play the same level as I was playing, and let’s see.”
Despite his success, Alcaraz remains self-critical, acknowledging that he has won many matches without playing his best tennis. He credits his mental resilience and positive attitude as key factors in his recent achievements.
“I’ve been playing great tennis, but probably most of the matches I won, I won them without playing great tennis, or I felt like I didn’t play really great tennis,” Alcaraz reflected. “So the way that I approach every match, I stay there strong mentally in some situations, I’m really, really happy about that.”
After his silver medal performance at the Olympics, Alcaraz took a brief holiday with his brother and close friends, giving him a chance to reset before returning to the court in Cincinnati. Now, the second seed is ready to begin his campaign, starting with a match against either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin.
“I’m excited to play here again. I’m really happy to be back. Obviously great memories from last year, reaching the final, losing a really tight and epic match,” Alcaraz shared. “This is a tournament that I love playing and yeah, excited to start the tournament.”
As the season progresses, Alcaraz remains focused on his goal of ending the year as the world No. 1, and his determination and recent form suggest that he is well on his way to achieving it.
Carlos Alcaraz in 2024
Currently ranked no.3, Alcaraz played his last contest on the 4th of August when he surrendered to world no.2 Novak Djokovic 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in the final in Paris (draw).
Currently, during this year the Spaniard has achieved a compiled 38-7 win-loss record. Carlos has won 3 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open and Wimbledon. The Spaniard was the runner-up in Paris.
Carlos Alcaraz will play the world no.328 Gabi Adrian Boitan in the . They have never played each other up to now in top tournaments.
The Spaniard has won 3 titles in 2024 in Indian Wells, French Open and Wimbledon. Alcaraz reached the final in Paris (Olympics).
Carlos won 16 titles in his career: 4 on hard courts, 8 on clay courts, 1 on indoor courts and 3 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Carlos Alcaraz |
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