Alcaraz’s big goal: finishing the year as No. 1 | ATP Tour

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Alcaraz’s big goal: finishing the year as No. 1

August 11, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz has enjoyed a fine run of form, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and claiming a silver medal in singles at the Paris Olympics. Now, the Spaniard has his sights set on one thing: the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF.

The 21-year-old enters the Cincinnati Open just 450 points behind top-ranked Sinner in PIF’s ATP Live Race To Turin, which serves as a barometer for the year’s No. 1.

“Obviously, being number 1 is a goal every time I’m [detrás] and the race is an important ranking for me. At the end of the year, if you finish the race No. 1, in the standings [es] “It’s pretty similar, so you’re going to finish No. 1,” Alcaraz said. “So I’m really focused on that. I’m focused on going into every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, doing well just to get better in the race, and this year, finishing the year No. 1 is one of my main goals right now. So I’m looking forward to doing that and we’ll see.”

For most of the first half of the season, it seemed like Sinner was in prime position to become the first Italian No. 1 in history. But after winning two consecutive Grand Slams, Alcaraz is hot on his heels.

“I’m fighting to be No. 1 in the Race, that’s something I really want to do as soon as possible, if I could do it in the future,” Alcaraz said. “This is a very important tournament, very good for me. So I’m going to try to play good tennis, try to play at the same level I was playing, and we’ll see.”

Alcaraz has won 20 of his last 22 matches dating back to the start of Roland Garros. During that stretch, he has emerged victorious against nine of the 10 Top 20 players he has faced.

“I’ve been playing great tennis, but probably most of the matches I’ve won, I’ve won without playing great tennis, or I felt like I wasn’t playing great tennis,” Alcaraz said. “So the way I approach every match, I stay mentally strong in some situations, I’m very, very happy about that.”

“[Estoy contento] by the way in which [manejé] some situations, that I stayed there, even knowing that I wasn’t playing, or that I wasn’t playing great tennis. But [jugué] “with a positive attitude, always with the right face and trying to find solutions in some moments when I could do so. I am very happy about that.”

After losing a heartbreaking gold medal match to Novak Djokovic in Paris, Alcaraz went on vacation with one of his brothers and two close friends. “I needed a few days off from thinking about tennis,” he said.

The Spaniard touched a racquet for the first time since the Olympics on Sunday when he practiced in Cincinnati. The second seed will face either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin in his opening match.

“I’m excited to be back here. I’m very happy to be back. Obviously, I have great memories from last year, when I got to the final and lost an epic, very close match,” Alcaraz said. “This is a tournament that I love to play and yeah, excited to start the tournament.”