Carlos Alcaraz’s biggest threat is revealed – and it’s not Novak Djokovic

Carlos Alcaraz is preparing to play his first match since being crowned as Wimbledon champion, with his dominant position at the top of the ATP rankings set to be tested.

Alcaraz cemented his position as world No 1 following his dramatic win over Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, as the Spaniard claimed his first title at the All England Club.

Now the 20-year-old is preparing to make his return to court at the Toronto Masters, with the pressure of being the player to beat set to weigh on his shoulders.

That’s the verdict of former world No 2 Alex Corretja, who told Tennis365 that his compatriot Alcaraz will experience different pressures when everyone is looking to take him down.

“Carlos is an incredible player, but he is not superhuman and that means he will have bad days,” Corretja told Tennis365 at an ASICS event in London.

“What we have seen from Novak (Djokovic), Roger (Federer) and Rafael (Nadal) in recent years is not normal. Their consistency is incredible and we have got used to it.

“I don’t expect that to be the way we see tennis now and if Alcaraz is the No 1, he will have some weeks when he loses early. That is normal in tennis.

“What we see with these three guys winning 20 Grand Slams and all the big tournaments is not what tennis is normally like. Things will be different now.

“Carlos will not win every tournament. We will see others beat him, others have better days. This is normal in tennis.”

Corretja’s comments suggest Alcaraz’s biggest threat may not come from his rivals on the court, but more from his own fragilities.

They have not been very evident in recent months, as he won a host of clay court events and then claims the titles at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon on grass.

That inspired many observers to suggest a new era had finally got underway in the sport, with Alcaraz taking over from Djokovic as the new king of the men’s game.

Yet Alcaraz has tried to play down expectations as he plays his first match as Wimbledon champion, as he insists he didn’t take too long away from the court to come to terms with his achievement.

“I had just a week to think about it. I had not too much time and I think I needed a little bit more because it’s something that is crazy to realise,” said Alcaraz

“Honestly, for me, winning Wimbledon at 20 years old is something that I dreamed about when I started playing tennis. It was my fourth tournament on grass, so it was totally unexpected.

“So for me, it’s a great achievement and it’s something that I have to take some time to think about.

“I know that everything came so fast. Great tournaments, two Grand Slams, and I’m just 20 years old. I know that I’m so young.

“It’s something that I worked to be in this position to fight for great things, but you never realise until you’ve done it.

“There are some times that I think about the last point of the US Open, the last point of Wimbledon and other great tournaments that I won and I still can’t believe it and still get goosebumps, so it’s crazy.”

Alcaraz has been practicing with world No 3 Daniil Medvedev ahead of the Toronto Masters and while he might want to dampen down expectations around him, all eyes are on the player who is the talk of tennis.

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