Carlos Alcaraz has won two Grand Slam titles this year, the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, becoming the youngest ever to do so in the same year. The young Spanish ace also won the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells for the second year in a row and won the silver medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, surrendering in the final to a great Novak Djokovic.
The former world number 1 – who was considered by bookmakers to be the big favorite to win the gold medal – struggled a lot to digest that loss and played badly in Cincinnati and at the US Open. In the last Major of the season, the current number 3 world was eliminated already in the second round by Botic van de Zandschulp making self-criticism during the press conference.
The four-time Grand Slam champion took advantage of the Davis Cup in Valencia and the Laver Cup in Berlin to regain the right feelings and the responses were positive. The 21-year-old from Murcia has dragged Spain to the Davis Cup Finals, which will take place in Malaga in November, and led Team Europe to victory over Team World at the Uber Arena.
A different schedule
Carlitos has finally found his smile again and is ready to close the 2024 in the best way possible. Its main goals are definitely the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Alcaraz made a good debut in the ATP 500 in Beijing beating young Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in two sets and will face Tallon Griekspoor for a spot in the quarterfinals.
During the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, the Spanish champion attacked the ATP calendar and also triggered the reaction of other players. Despite the numerous tournaments on the schedule, Carlitos has played a performance like the Laver Cup and will also participate in the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in Saudi Arabia next month (with Djokovic, Nadal, Sinner, Medvedev and Rune).
Meanwhile, it has been announced that the former world number 1 will not be playing in the Basel ATP 500 this year. The Spanish ace will be resting in preparation for the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin and the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. The Spaniard wants to shine in Beijing: “Last year was the first time I came here to China, to Beijing. I honestly enjoyed my time here, I believe this is one of the best tournaments I have been to. So it’s great to live this experience once more. I am motivated to do a good job here this year, to show good tennis. This is probably one of the toughest draws there can be in a 500 tournament. It will be a difficult challenge for me to go far in this tournament, but at the same time, I will try to enjoy everything I can”.
Carlos has mathematically qualified for the ATP Finals: “It’s great. At the beginning of each year, one of my goals is to qualify for the ATP Finals at the end of the year. So I am very happy to have done it in October. Only one month remains until Turin. It’s great to share that moment with the best players of the year. I am excited to go and show my good tennis”.
Alcaraz will go to Turin
The 21-year-old from Murcia also performed exceptionally well in 2024, although he had some ups and downs during the season. The feeling is that Alcaraz will have to change his schedule in the future to avoid injuries or drops in concentration, which were decisive in favor of Jannik Sinner in the ATP ranking.
In a recent interview with Stan Sport, Swiss legend Roger Federer opened up on Carlitos: “What I like most and find surprising about Carlos is his intensity, his athletic ability, and the power of his shots. I think he needs to learn to manage his efforts, not rush for every ball, but he will learn that with age. Also, as the years go by, he will become even stronger mentally.”
He continued: “Of course, he is capable of winning in Melbourne in a few months. When you have already won two Grand Slams this year, you are bound to compete for that title. I think he will arrive perfectly physically and perform naturally on hard courts. The fact that important matches are played at night, I think it will suit his game.” If he wins the 2025 Australian Open, Alcaraz would become the youngest ever to win five Grand Slam titles. This year, his run at Melbourne Park ended in the quarterfinals against a great Sascha Zverev.
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