Carlos Alcaraz admits to squandering his chance to finish as the World No. 1 ahead of Novak Djokovic following early exit from the Shanghai Masters

Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters by Grigor Dimitrov.

Carlos Alcaraz admits to squandering his chance to finish as the World No. 1 ahead of Novak Djokovic following early exit from the Shanghai Masters

Carlos Alcaraz frustrated after losing to Grigor Dimitrov (Image via Sky Sports)

Spanish ace Carlos Alcaraz rues the missed opportunity to dethrone Novak Djokovic as the World No.1 as the 20-year-old bowed out of the Shanghai Masters after losing to Grigor Dimitrov on Wednesday. Alcaraz, aiming to win his first title since Wimbledon, lost in three sets despite being 1-0 up against Dimitrov. He lost 7-5, 2-6, 4-6. 

The Spaniard also could not go past Jannik Sinner at the China Open when the two met in the semifinals. These two defeats mean Alcaraz will be trailing by 2,240 points when the ATP updates the rankings next Monday. And Alcaraz knows that he missed out on two crucial opportunities. 

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After his defeat to Dimitrov in Shanghai, Alcaraz talked about his aim to finish the season as the top-ranked player. The Spaniard admitted that his plans have taken a hit but also assured his fans that he won’t give up easily. Alcaraz confirmed that he will play in the ATP 500 tournament in Basel. 

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“I want to do my best in Basel, which will be my next tournament. I know that the goal of finishing number 1 this year has been very complicated for me with these last results. It is going to be difficult, but I want to try. I will try to win the next events,” said Alcaraz in the post-match press conference. 

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How can Carlos Alcaraz pip Novak Djokovic in the rankings? 

The race for the Year-end No.1 has intensified, although Novak Djokovic seems to have an edge over Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard trails by only 500 points in the race points. While Djokovic has 8945 points, Alcaraz has accumulated 8445 race points so far. The semifinal defeat in Beijing and an early exit here in Shanghai has severely dented Alcaraz’s chances.

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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (Image via X)

Nevertheless, the 20-year-old will play at the ATP 500 tournament in Basel while Novak Djokovic will play directly at the Paris Masters (ATP 1000 tournament) and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. This means that Alcaraz can accumulate a maximum of 3,000 points (500 in Basel, 1000 in Paris, and 1500 in Turin) while Djokovic can get to 2500 (Paris and Turin).

So, for Alcaraz to finish as the year-end no.1, he will have to hope for Djokovic to have an early exit at the two tournaments while also working hard to win the next three tournaments. If Djokovic manages to win the Paris Masters and advance to the semifinals in Italy while Alcaraz also reaches the semis, it will be down to who wins the ATP Finals.

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