Carlos Alcaraz takes bold ATP Finals step after ‘crazy’ Paris conditions
Carlos Alcaraz has reportedly made a significant decision in his quest to prepare for the upcoming ATP Finals in Turin following his shock Paris Masters exit.
World No 2 Alcaraz, who will drop back to third in the rankings on Monday, was beaten in round three of the Paris Masters by Ugo Humbert earlier this week.
The Spaniard expressed his displeasure with conditions in the Accor Arena after his defeat, with indoor conditions proving to be a repeated stumbling block during his career to date.
Alcaraz was beaten in the semi-final of his ATP Finals debut twelve months ago and will return to the indoor hard courts of Turin for the year-end championships, which start on November 10th.
And, in preparation for his campaign, the Spaniard is looking to get as much on-court practice as possible.
Reports from the Spanish site Marca claim that the Ferrero Tennis Academy has installed a court made of the same surface used in Turin to help Alcaraz practice ahead of the event.
Marca also reported that the 21-year-old will stay in Villena, where he is based when not on tour, until Wednesday when he will head to Turin for the pre-Finals build-up.
Alcaraz and coach Juan Carlos Ferrero will hope extra time on the surface boosts the four-time Grand Slam winner’s confidence in such conditions ahead of the year-end championships.
The Spaniard is yet to win an indoor title and has only once made it to the last eight of the Paris Masters in four attempts.
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And the decision seemingly made by Ferrero and his team is telling considering comments made by the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion after his 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 loss to Humbert in Paris.
Alcaraz described the speed of the court as “crazy” and admitted he probably needed more time to prepare for the event.
He said: “This court… I mean, I don’t want to say something that there is going to sound like an excuse.
“When I played the first match, the stats came out that it is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour right now. This is crazy. I don’t know. Probably and the fastest one, you know, in the last ten years in this tournament.
“So I don’t know why they do it. I don’t know why they have changed a court from other tournaments and obviously in the same tournament, comparing to other years.
“It surprised me a little bit, so I came here with not too many days. Probably I had to come earlier to get used to these conditions but I didn’t. But, honestly, all I can say is I don’t understand why they did it.”
Alcaraz is currently one of five players officially qualified for the ATP Finals, joining Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz.
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