Carlos Alcaraz pushes himself in the final sprint in Paris and Turin | ATP Tour

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Alcaraz pushes himself in the final sprint in Paris and Turin

The Spaniard affirms that his goal is to finish the year as No. 2 in the world

October 28, 2024

If there is one thing Carlos Alcaraz wants to improve at this end of the season, compared to previous year ends, it is to finish on a high with two great performances at the Rolex Paris Masters and the Nitto ATP Finals.

This was expressed this Monday by the Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion during this course in the press conference prior to his debut at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy against Nicolás Jarry or Lorenzo Sonego.

“I want to finish second in the ranking, that means I have to play good tennis and be mentally fresh, have good results in the last tournaments,” explained the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who intends to maintain that ranking at the end of 2024. .

And the first place is already assured for world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. “It doesn’t matter that I’ve beaten him three times. I probably didn’t play good tennis in some tournaments. My winning percentage this year is very, very high, but Jannik is at another level this year,” he confessed with a smile. “It exceeds 91% victories this year. Few players have done that before.”

Alcaraz faces the challenge of improving his standards in Paris-Bercy. Under the French indoor hard court, where he is participating for the fourth time, he has accumulated a record of 4-3 and his best result dates back to 2022, where he had to retire against Holger Rune in the quarterfinals. In 2021 he left in the third round (l. to Hugo Gaston), while last year he said goodbye without winning (l. to Roman Safiullin.

“I haven’t played good tennis here in this tournament. Probably, at the end of the year, I have been tired or, as I said last year, I had to understand that the season continues after September,” added the Murcian. “I probably arrived tired last year, I didn’t play as well as I wanted, but this year I think the feeling is different.”

What is the difference compared to 2023? The protagonist himself responds: “Simply understand that the season continues. After a long tour, at least for me—for example, the last tour—I’ve been away from home for a month and a half. I know that the season continues, that I have important tournaments ahead, where I want to go far and play good tennis.”

Alcaraz wants to leave his past behind in the last month of competition and finish at the same level he has played in the previous months. “I know what I have to do, I have been doing a great job lately, so I think I am prepared to do well or at least go further than last year, which I think is not very difficult,” he joked.

Of course, you already know what awaits you: very fast conditions. “[Las pistas] They are very, very fast. Honestly, I didn’t expect that speed, but I think I’ll be ready for tomorrow’s game. I have a lot of confidence. “I’m looking forward to the tournament starting.”