"It's going to be tougher" - Carlos Alcaraz laments lost opportunites to take down Novak Djokovic from World No. 1 spot after Shanghai disappointment
Carlos Alcaraz has expressed regret for squandering his chances to unseat Novak Djokovic as the top-ranked player in the ATP rankings.
After winning his record-breaking 24th Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open, Novak Djokovic displaced Carlos Alcaraz from the top of the world rankings. Carlos Alcaraz had a great opportunity to reclaim the No. 1 ranking from Djokovic at the Asian swing, however, due to the Serb's decision to skip both the China Open and the Shanghai Masters.
The Spaniard, unfortunately, has been struggling to get back on his feet since his semifinal defeat against Daniil Medvedev in New York. The 20-year-old came back in Beijing only to meet his arch rival Jannik Sinner and suffer the same fate, losing the semifinal match in straight sets 6-7(4), 1-6.
On Wednesday in Shanghai, Carlos Alcaraz found himself on the receiving end of another bitter pill to swallow. He was brought down by Grigor Dimitrov, who proved to be a tough nut to crack.
The Bulgarian defeated Alcaraz in a grueling battle that lasted three sets and stretched over two hours and nine minutes. Despite having the first set in his pocket, the World No. 2 could not quite seal the deal, ultimately handing it over to the veteran 7-5, 2-6, 4-6.
Addressing the media after his loss to Dimitrov in Shanghai, Carlos Alcaraz admitted that reaching the pinnacle again will be an uphill battle, as he has failed to capitalize on the chances that came his way.
“Well, this loss I needed to be a little bit farther. It's going to be tougher, if I want to be No. 1. I have a few tournaments ahead, so I'll try to do my best. I'll try to, you know, win them, if I want to have a chance to end the year as No. 1. I don't know, but right now I lose a lot of opportunities to make it,” Alcaraz stated.
“I really want to play more times against Novak Djokovic” - Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Wimbledon Champion, recently stated his belief that Novak Djokovic is the best player and expressed his desire to more frequently defeat the legend in decisive matches.
Carlos Alcaraz defeated the Serb in the final at SW19, handing Djokovic only his second loss in the summit clash at Wimbledon. Alcaraz won 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4, a stunning performance in which he blasted 66 winners and broke Djokovic's serve five times.
Following his victory, Alcaraz was questioned by Tennis Channel how he would handle being the best and having everyone try to beat him, to which he said:
"I still consider Novak the best honestly. I have to beat him more than once or twice in big games. I have Novak on my eyes, I really want to play more times against him. As I have said, if you want to be the best, you want to beat the best."