Has Carlos Alcaraz already lost a big weapon after ATP Finals defeat?
Carlos Alcaraz’s miserable run of form continued as he lost his opening match at the ATP Finals against Alexander Zverev.
Alcaraz came into his first ATP Finals with question marks over his form, after early defeats in tournaments in China and at the Paris Masters tournaments in recent weeks.
When the world No 2 found a way to win the openings set against Zverev in Turin, it looked like he was ready to turn his form around.
Yet the German roared back to wrap up a 6-7(3) 6-3 6-4 win to leave Alcaraz in a difficult position to qualify from the group stages of the ATP Finals.
He will now need wins against Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev to have a chance to get through to the final four this weekend, with this latest defeat another blow to Alcatraz’s aura on the court.
When the young Spaniard won Wimbledon back in July, it seemed as if he was ready to assume control of the men’s game, with his win against Novak Djokovic in the Final on Centre Court hailed as a changing of the guard moment at the top of tennis.
Since then, Alcaraz has struggled to find his best form and while his opponents were starting to fear he was a step or two ahead of them, there is now a perception that there are flaws in his make-up.
This is especially significant if Alcaraz can be dragged into a tense match, as he has come out of the wrong side of a few of them in recent weeks.
Zverev saluted his victory over Alcaraz, as he beat the Spaniard for a fourth time in seven meetings.
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“Saving the break point in the first game of the second set really helped me,” said the German.
“You don’t want to get down a set and a break against the No 2 player in the world.
“It is always nice to beat the best players in the world and he is certainly one of them.”
Zverev had a nasty fall at the end of the match, but he insisted there was no concern that he aggravated the ankle injury he sustained at the 2022 US Open.
“I didn’t turn my ankle,” he insisted. “I might have pinched by Achilles a little. It was a nervy pain for a while. I don’t think any damage has been done.”
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Zverev’s smiles were replaced by frowns in the Alcaraz camp, with the player who looked unbeatable for periods in the first half of 2023 is no longer playing at a level that is intimidating his rivals.
Djokovic has an aura that carries him through tight matches, as the opponent across the net doubts whether he can overcome a champion who finds a way to win time and again.
These are still early days in Alcaraz’s attempt to be the next big star of the men’s game, but it is clear that the levels of consistency that have separated Djokovic from the rest over the last decade cannot be delivered by Alcaraz yet.
He will now need to show the spirit of a champion to beat Rublev and Medvedev to give himself a chance to play a semi-final at the ATP Finals, which would probably be against Djokovic on Saturday.
What seems more likely is we will need to wait until 2024 to see a revived Alcaraz take on Djokovic in a match that really matters.
