"Remember when media said Carlos Alcaraz is Djokovic, Nadal and Federer combined" - Fans react in shock as Spaniard fails to qualify for ATP Finals SF
Carlos Alcaraz's run at the ATP Finals came to an end in the round-robin stage after his defeat to second seed Alexander Zverev, who beat the Spaniard 7-6(5), 6-4 to win all of his round-robin fixtures. It's the second straight year he beat Alcaraz at the year-end championships, having beaten him 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 in 2023.
The 21-year-old was the third seed at the ATP Finals and started with a 6-1, 7-5 loss to sixth Casper Ruud and followed up with a 6-3, 7-6(8) victory over eighth seed Andrey Rublev. Alcaraz's defeat to Zverev eliminates any chance he has of reaching the semifinals regardless of the result of the match between Ruud and Rublev.
Even if the Russian beats Ruud 6-0, 6-0, he will qualify by virtue of a better game ratio.
Fans reacted to Carlos Alcaraz's early exit at the ATP Finals, with one poking fun at the media for calling him a combination of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
"I still remember when the media said alcaraz is all the big 3 combined..... Was funny statement then and. It's funnier now," the fan said.
One fan said that Alcaraz isn't very good on indoor courts.
"Carlos is sadly just not good enough indoors," the fan said.
Another criticized Alcaraz's decision making and said that standing too deep made the Spaniard squander his break points.
"Alcaraz decision making is inconsistent. Why would you stand that deep to return 2nd serves FFS? He doesn't even stand deep to return a 1st serve, so why does he do that on a 2nd serve? Made Zverev comfortable on serve because of that, squandered his break points because of that," the fan said.
Here are some more fan reactions to Alcaraz's ATP Finals exit.
"Alcaraz was a bit poor but Zverev was unreal," one fan commented.
"Carlos Alcaraz needs the off-season. He needs some time to refocus and get his body healthy. Carlos hasn't been consistent since the Olympics. This has been a very long season for him. Alcaraz will comeback stronger in 2025," another fan said.
"Always dealing with something when he's horrible," another fan stated.
Carlos Alcaraz has won three of seven matches at the ATP Finals
Carlos Alcaraz has made two appearances at the ATP Finals in his young career. He has played seven matches, winning three.
The Spaniard was first eligible to qualify for the year-end championships in Turin in 2022 when he was the World No. 1. However, he missed the tournament due to an injury that saw him withdraw from that year's Paris Masters.
Alcaraz's ATP Finals debut came in 2023, where wins over Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev was enough to see him top his group and qualify for the semifinals. However, the Spaniard suffered a 6-3, 6-2 defeat to eventual champion Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz's exit at this year's ATP Finals sees his 2024 win-loss record drop to 53-13. The Spaniard will next compete at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, where his nation face the Netherlands in the quarter-finals.