Carlos Alcaraz injury shocker may end battle with Novak Djokovic for No 1 spot
Carlos Alcaraz has confirmed he is desperate to knock Novak Djokovic off the top of the ATP rankings before 2023 comes to an end, but that dream may be dashed in an unexpected manner.
The 20-year-old Wimbledon champion is 2,240 points behind Djokovic in the race to clinch the prestigious year-end world No 1 ranking, with Alcaraz missing out on a chance to close that gap after disappointing results in China this month.
Alcaraz lost to Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals of the China Open and was then beaten by Grigor Dimitrov in the Shanghai Masters, denying him a chance to eat into Djokovic’s lead at the top of the rankings.
“It’s going to be tougher, if I want to be No 1,” said Alcaraz after the defeat against Dimitrov.
“I have a few tournaments ahead, so I’ll try to do my best. I’ll try to, you know, win them, if I want to have a chance to end the year as No 1. I don’t know, but right now I lose a lot of opportunities to make it.”
It was a glorious chance to close the gap on Djokovic after the Serbian opted to sit out the Chinese tournaments after his US Open success last month.
Yet despite that loss to Dimitrov, Alcaraz insisted he was ready to push his foot on the gas once again when the European indoor season kicked off, but his hopes of a thrilling end-of-season finale now appear to be in peril.
Unfortunately I will not be able to play in Basel this year! 🥲 I have a problem with the plantar fascia in my left foot and muscle fatigue in my lower back which need treatment so I can play the rest of the season. I hope to see you all soon! pic.twitter.com/44MvsjQDVn
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) October 18, 2023
Alcaraz was due to play in the ATP 500 tournament in Basel later this month, but he has confirmed his withdrawal from the event due to injury that denies him a chance to compete in Switzerland.
“Alcaraz had to cancel his start at the Swiss Indoors (October 21-29) today, Wednesday, due to an injury,” read a statement on the Basel tournament’s official website.
“According to his doctor’s bulletin, the world number two is suffering from inflammation of the sole of his left foot and problems in his gluteal muscles.”
READ MORE: Roger Federer on Novak Djokovic’s claim that Carlos Alcaraz is a mix of the ‘Big Three’
Tournament president Roger Brennwald learned of Alcaraz’s withdrawal on Wednesday and admitted it was a blow to his event.
“Such news, as we also know from previous years, naturally hits us hard. But cancellations due to injury are beyond our control,” said Brennwald.
“Fortunately, this year’s tournament has an outstanding number of players. An exciting clash with 15 players from the world’s top 30 is nevertheless guaranteed.”
History is repeating itself as Alcaraz was forced to withdraw from events at the back end of 2022, with his body sill adjusting to life on the ATP Tour and the rigours that go with it.
He will be wary of pushing himself too hard over the next few weeks as his injury problems forced him to withdraw from the Australian Open last January and that needs to be his focus now.
His withdrawal from Basel makes it highly unlikely that he will overtake Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings as he would need to win Paris and the ATP Finals to get close to the Serbian legend.
This news also means Djokovic is closing on reaching his next rankings goal, which is 400 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings and he could achieve that next month.
