Carlos Alcaraz had a rough time at the Paris Masters, which will impact his ranking soon. His dream of surpassing Jannik Sinner for the top spot ended weeks ago when Sinner became the fastest to clinch year-end No. 1 since Djokovic in 2015. Now, Alcaraz can only aim for finishing 2024 as No. 2.
He missed a chance to strengthen his position by skipping both the Vienna Open and Swiss Indoors in Basel, leaving room for Alexander Zverev to catch up. However, Zverev stumbled in Vienna’s quarterfinals against Lorenzo Musetti, failing to capitalize on Alcaraz’s absence.
Alcaraz has always struggled at the Paris Masters, never advancing beyond the quarterfinals despite feeling different this year. He beat Nicolas Jarry but found the court slippery and less confident than before.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Paris Masters Challenges
Ugo Humbert surprised everyone with an amazing game against Alcaraz in the round of 32, winning 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 despite Alcaraz playing better than he did against Jarry. Afterward, Alcaraz criticized the court’s speed again and expressed frustration over not being able to prepare effectively.
Now he turns his attention to the ATP Finals starting November 10th. Juan Carlos Ferrero has set up a similar court at his academy so that Alcaraz won’t be caught off guard again.
Fans might wonder if these challenges will push him harder next season or if he needs more time to adjust.
Zverev got another shot after Alcaraz’s loss by defeating Tallon Griekspoor and Arthur Fils; during Fils’ match, there was drama with an umpire’s poor call causing uproar from Fils. Then Zverev impressively took down Stefanos Tsitsipas before facing Holger Rune in a semifinal showdown where victory would ensure him No. 2 ranking next week.
Zverev played brilliantly against Rune with scores of 6-3, 7-6 placing him ahead of Alcaraz by just over a hundred points live ranking-wise—7365 compared to Alcaraz’s tally of 7210 points! If he beats Ugo Humbert in their final clash amidst passionate home supporters’ cheers (or boos), he’ll widen that gap further still!
Yet ultimately it’ll all come down who performs best during ATP Finals determining world number two status regardless what happens here today…
What do you think? Can Carlos bounce back stronger?
