Fact-check: Did Carlos Alcaraz take a dig at Alexander Zverev for surpassing him as World No. 2 despite being Slam-less? Looking into the viral claim
Alexander Zverev has surpassed Carlos Alcaraz to become the new World No. 2 in the ATP rankings. Following the ranking shift, a shocking quote attributed to Alcaraz went viral, where the Spaniard seemingly belittled Zverev's accomplishments in comparison to his own.
Alcaraz and the German were recently in action at the 2024 Paris Masters, the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. While the 21-year-old suffered a shock loss to Ugo Humbert in the third round, Zverev went on to beat Humbert in the final to clinch the prestigious title.
Amid his commanding run in Paris, Alexander Zverev surpassed Carlos Alcaraz to climb back to his career-high ranking of World No. 2. However, the German's ascent wasn't well-received by fans, given that Alcaraz clinched two Grand Slam titles this season, at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Furthermore, the four-time Major champion triumphed at the Indian Wells Masters and the China Open. In contrast, Zverev emerged victorious at the Rome Masters and the Paris Masters this season but fell short against the Spaniard in the Roland Garros final.
Joining the discourse, a user on X gained attention by posting a quote supposedly from Carlos Alcaraz, where the 21-year-old was reported as saying that he would prefer to be the World No. 3 with two Grand Slam titles rather than being World No. 2 without any.
"I think if you win 2 GS you’d be at least top 2 but not in ATP obviously (laughs) Anyways I’d rather be no. 3 and hold 2 Grand Slams than being no. 2 and not hold any. I think Sascha has done a great job, he won Rome and Bercy," Carlos Alcaraz was falsely quoted as saying.
However, the quote was falsely attributed to Alcaraz, as the words were originally spoken by Serena Williams when she had found herself in a similar situation to the Spaniard.
In 2009, Williams triumphed at the Wimbledon Championships after clinching the Australian Open title earlier that year and having won the 2008 US Open. Despite her impressive results, the American remained the World No. 2, with Dinara Safina holding the top spot in the WTA rankings after her victories at the Madrid Open and Italian Open.
Following her Wimbledon triumph, Serena Williams took a sly jab at Safina's lack of a Grand Slam title, highlighting the contrast to her own achievements.
"You know, I’m not super motivated. I think if you hold three Grand Slam titles maybe you should be No. 1, but not on the WTA Tour obviously, so my motivation is just to win another Grand Slam and stay No. 2, I guess," Williams said.
"I’d rather definitely be No. 2 and hold three Grand Slams in the past year than be No. 1 and not have any. I see myself as No. 2. That’s where I am," she continued. "I think Dinara did a great job to get to No. 1. She won Rome and Madrid."
"I know that I'm ahead of Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings, but he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros" - Alexander Zverev
Alexander Zverev himself conceded that even though he had surpassed Carlos Alcaraz to become the World No. 2, the Spaniard still had a more successful season, which was second only to Jannik Sinner.
In a press conference at the 2024 Paris Masters, the German pointed out that Alcaraz had triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon in contrast to himself, acknowledging the 21-year-old and Sinner as the two best players in the world.
"It's nice, for sure. It's nice to be back at the highest position that I have been so far. Of course I want to get higher, but for me still Jannik has the best year this season, for sure, and then Carlos had the second-best year. He won two Grand Slams," Zverev said.
"I know that I'm ahead of him in the rankings maybe, but for me he won Wimbledon and Roland Garros. Those are two massive titles. So they are still the two best players in the world, in my opinion, at the moment," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will be back in action at the 2024 ATP Finals, commencing on November 10. The duo will be joined by the likes of Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz at the year-end championships in Turin.