“I can’t let my guard down,” Carlos Alcaraz details his plan of dethroning Novak Djokovic from World No. 1 spot in ATP rankings
Carlos Alcaraz is on path to become World No.1 again in the ATP Rankings as he advance into the semi-final round of the Rio Open 2023.
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz understands that he may be one of the best players in the world, but he still has to prove himself against the likes of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have 22 Grand Slam titles each to their name. However, he considers the Serb a much bigger competition.
At the end of the 2022 season, Carlos Alcaraz was the World No.1 and the youngest player in ATP history to claim that position. However, he lost that spot soon after as an unfortunate injury led to his withdrawal from many important tournaments right at the start of the season, which includes the Australian Open 2023. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic won his career’s tenth Australian Open men’s singles title by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the first Grand Slam of the season.
The young Spaniard returned to the ATP Tour and won his first ATP title soon. He defeated Cameron Norrie in the final of the Argentina Open 2023 to claim the title in Buenos Aires. However, he is wary of the challenge of the Serbian, who is in incredible form and well-poised to win all four majors this year.
“For me, he is now the best in the world, as well as one of the best in the history of tennis along with Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer. All three have dominated the men’s circuit for the past 20 years. I can’t let my guard down, I have to advance tournament by tournament if I want to stay close to Djokovic in the standings, even if being where I am is already a privilege,” he said in a press conference in Rio.
Challenges before Carlos Alcaraz in claiming World No.1 this season
Carlos Alcaraz is the current World No.2 in the ATP rankings. But his aim is to again take the top spot. However, in his quest to become World No.1 again, he has to pass many challenges. The most significant challenge before him is definitely Novak Djokovic, but there are other players as well who are vying for the leader’s position, like Stefanos Tsitsipas. He reiterated this in a recent interview after winning the Argentina Open 2023.
Eminent journalist Mario Boccardi shared an excerpt from this interview on social media.
“Carlos Alcaraz: “I’m fighting for #1 with Djokovic, Tsitsipas, they are the closest, but there is a very wide range of players who can win Grand Slams and who may be fighting for #1: there are seven or eight players who would deserve it and who have the level to be at the top.”,” the caption read.
Other active players such as Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Felix Auger-Aliassime among others can also derail Carlos Alcaraz’s campaign. And there is also the ever-present threat of Rafael Nadal, who is looking to recover from his injury and return to the Tour.
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Abhar Indorkar
(451 Articles Published)