Carlos Alcaraz has simply performed the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in Saudi Arabia, the place he defeated Rafael Nadal within the semifinals earlier than being crushed by his nice rival Jannik Sinner within the ultimate. The younger Spanish champion has returned to a really excessive degree after having had a nasty time after the Olympic match, as proven by the untimely elimination on the US Open towards Botic van de Zandschulp.
The previous world no 1 had hassle regaining his vitality after shedding to Novak Djokovic within the ultimate of the Olympic match and admitted that it was not simple to return to the utmost depth. From this viewpoint, the Davis Cup and the Laver Cup have been elementary to permit Carlitos to return to the highest of his type.
The four-time Grand Slam champion gained the ATP 500 in Beijing, defeating Jannik Sinner on the finish of probably the most thrilling matches of all the season. 0-3 down within the decisive tiebreak, the 21-year-old from Murcia scored a sequence of remarkable factors that allowed him to win his fourth title in 2024 (after Indian Wells, the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships).
The World quantity 2 reached the quarterfinals on the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the place he was stunned by a deluxe model of Tomas Machac. The Spanish legend determined to not play the ATP 500 in Basel this week, in order to regain vitality for the ultimate a part of the season. His subsequent match would be the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy, earlier than the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.
Carlitos on Dominic Thiem
Though Carlitos gained’t be taking part in this week, he needed to say some good phrases about Dominic Thiem. The Austrian participant – champion in New York in 2020 – will play the final match of his skilled profession in Vienna in entrance of his followers. “My little brother performed tennis and was an enormous fan of Dominic Thiem” – Alcaraz revealed. “He performed with Thiem’s racket, not mine! So he was all the time watching Dominic’s video games, and my brother would typically say to me, ‘I need to play like Dominic Thiem. I need to play like him, with the identical racket and the identical type’” – he added.
The previous world no 1 has performed an amazing season once more this yr and continues his extraordinary rivalry with Jannik Sinner. The 2 younger champions performed 4 unimaginable matches in 2024, though they’ve by no means but confronted one another in a ultimate of a Grand Slam match or a Masters 1000.
Within the newest version of his podcast, ATP legend Jimmy Connors spoke about Carlitos and Jannik: “It has been good to see the final yr or two, to see Alcaraz and Sinner sort of step up and begin taking it. We have talked about that because the first podcast we ever did, ‘who’s going to leap up and take it away?’ These two guys have actually separated themselves, particularly during the last yr with Sinner and the sort of yr he had, however Alcaraz with the final two years.”
Tennis is in good arms
The 21-year-old from Murcia has gained two extra Majors than Sinner to this point, however the Italian ace has had a loopy rise within the final 12 months. The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria has turn out to be constant on each floor and his first place within the ATP rating is absolutely deserved though Carlos’ peaks are sometimes increased.
In the course of the press convention in Saudi Arabia, the Spaniard mentioned his rivalry with Sinner: “All our matches are very robust, they’re all the time two very onerous units or three/5 units. They’re all the time very shut encounters, he pushes me to the restrict. I do know I’ve to deliver out my greatest tennis if I need to beat him. As a tennis participant, I like these sorts of battles, however generally I choose it to be simpler. He makes me a greater participant.
I hope this rivalry improves through the years. I need to say that I’m very grateful to have him on the tour, because of him I push myself to my limits to enhance, giving my 100% on daily basis. It’s all the time a pleasure to share the courtroom with him, though generally it’s troublesome to take pleasure in.”
Followers are hoping that the world’s prime two gamers will face off once more within the season’s ultimate tournaments. Crucial occasions are the Nitto ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals, the place the tennis world shall be greeting a residing legend like Rafa Nadal. Spain is taken into account the second favourite by bookmakers behind Italy, who lifted the trophy final yr.