Carlos Alcaraz's return at China Open: Will he be recharged? Will he get back to world No. 1 ahead of Novak Djokovic?
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Updated 27/09/2023 at 11:04 GMT
As Carlos Alcaraz makes his return to tennis at this week's China Open in Beijing, we look at what to expect from the world No. 2 and what's in store for him. Alcaraz hasn't played since losing in the semi-finals of the US Open to Daniil Medvedev. He has the chance to get back to world No. 1 before the end of the season and also looks set to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals.
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Carlos Alcaraz makes his return to tennis this week after three weeks off.
The world No. 2 last played at the US Open, where he was beaten in the semi-finals by Daniil Medvedev.
He pulled out of playing in the Davis Cup for Spain to “recharge the batteries”, and will be making his first appearance in China at this week’s ATP 500 event in Beijing.
The tournament is followed by the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters.
Alcaraz returns with the chance to overtake Djokovic as world No. 1 before the season finishes, and will look to build momentum ahead of making his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals.
How recharged will Alcaraz be?
The last time Alcaraz was on court he saw his hopes of a third Grand Slam title ended in the US Open semis by Medvedev.
It was a somewhat surprising result, given Alcaraz had beaten Medvedev in straight sets in Indian Wells earlier in the year, and then again at Wimbledon.
The 20-year-old put it down as another learning experience.
“I thought that right now I am a better player to find solutions when the match is not going in the right direction for you,” he said afterwards. “But after this match I’m going to change my mind: I'm not mature enough to handle these kind of matches. So I have to learn about it.”
Alcaraz then pulled out of Davis Cup duty with Spain as he wanted to rest and recharge ahead of the finish to the season.
Will he return and stamp his mark on the tour again, just as he has done previously when Djokovic has been out? Or could Medvedev cause him more problems? Might others even step up and challenge Alcaraz as the tour returns to China for the first time since 2019?
The Wimbledon champion has a tricky-looking draw, potentially facing Zhuhai winner Karen Khachanov in his second match, with Holger Rune and Jannik Sinner also in the same half of the draw.
Will Alcaraz return to No. 1?
With a 3,260-point lead, Djokovic looks the favourite to finish as year-end No. 1 for an eighth time, which would be two more than any other player in ATP history.
However, Alcaraz has a chance to deny him.
Not only does Djokovic have a lot more points to defend over the next couple of months, but Alcaraz is also playing more tournaments.
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Over the next few weeks Alcaraz could gain a maximum of 1,500 points if he wins the China Open and Shanghai Masters. Djokovic is playing neither, and will be dropping 750 points from last year’s results.
Djokovic is likely to return for the Paris Masters and then play the Nitto ATP Finals. He has 2,100 points to defend across both, while Alcaraz has 180 points to defend in Paris but didn’t play the ATP Finals last year.
There’s the tantalising prospect of the No. 1 ranking being up for grabs in Turin, and a good week in Beijing would be the perfect start for Alcaraz as he looks to close the gap.
ATP Finals debut on the horizon
It seems crazy given his meteoric rise over the last 18 months that Alcaraz has not yet played the season-ending finals.
However, he missed them last year due to an injury, turning up in Turin instead to collect the year-end No. 1 trophy.
Alcaraz has already secured his spot at this year’s ATP Finals, along with Djokovic, and will be hoping he is fit to make his debut this season.
The tournament has not been won by a Spaniard since Alex Corretja in 1998.
Before the ATP Finals, Alcaraz looks set to play in Beijing and Shanghai, and then return to Europe for the Paris Masters.
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