Carlos Alcaraz need not prioritize Asian swing, even Rafael Nadal has fared poorly after every US Open, says tennis analyst
Tennis analyst Gill Gross has encouraged Carlos Alcaraz to not prioritize the Asian swing on tour, arguing that Rafael Nadal also often performed poorly after the US Open.
Nadal has won 91 singles tour titles including 22 Grand Slams to date. His trophy cabinet boasts 36 ATP Masters 1000 titles, 23 ATP 500 titles, and 10 ATP 250 titles.
However, out of those 69 tour titles, only three have come during the Asian swing, which usually kicks off after the US Open ends. He has won the China Open twice in 2005 and 2017, and the Japan Open in 2010.
While it is still early days for Carlos Alcaraz, he has failed to come good in Asia on his debut appearances at the China Open and the Shanghai Masters this year. He finished as a semifinalist in Beijing and crashed out before the quarterfinals in Shanghai.
During the latest episode of the "Monday Match Analysis" podcast, Gill Gross came across a fan observation suggesting that Alcaraz should try to slash his workload. The fan stated that the youngster might benefit and perform better in Shanghai if he skips the Italian Open.
However, Gross trashed the idea, saying:
"This is the time of the year that isn’t as important because there’s no Major that you’re working towards. So why is Shanghai more important than Rome? It’s not. It’s probably less important than Rome."
He continued:
"In the rankings it’s not, prize money… prestige it’s not. But in terms of Alcaraz wanting to be at his best, if you ask ‘Do you want to be the best in Rome or Shanghai?’, he’s going to pick Rome."
Gross stated that even after being largely unsuccessful in Asia, Nadal has achieved so much in his tennis career.
"There’s no reason to prioritize this time of the year, if you’re Carlos Alcaraz. I mean, look at the career Rafa [Nadal] has had, not doing well after the US Open, basically ever… he’s still had the career he’s had," Gross commented.
Rafael Nadal is yet to win the year-end championship
Another major event that takes place after the US Open every year is the ATP Finals, a tournament Rafael Nadal has notably failed to win so far.
He has competed at the ATP Finals on 11 occasions. His best performances at the tournament came in 2010 and 2013, when he finished as the runner-up. The 37-year-old lost those summit clashes to Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, respectively.
He has also made four semifinal appearances at the year-end championship in 2006, 2007, 2015, and 2020.
Nadal is currently out of action nursing a hip injury and is expected to make hus comeback at the 2024 Australian Open.