Alcaraz Admits To Chasing World No. 1 Spot Despite 'Great Players' Fighting For It
Carlos Alcaraz is chasing the world number one rank, as he confirmed after returning to the courts in Buenos Aires.
Alcaraz has been away from the tennis courts for almost a month after crashing out of the Australian Open. After the loss, he signed up for the Argentina Open like he did last year, attempting to defend the trophy he won in 2023.
The Spaniard returned on a solid level as he cruised in straight sets in the second round, and after the match, Alcaraz briefly spoke on the court. He confirmed that he is targeting a return to being the world number one on the ATP Tour, which shouldn't surprise anybody.
"Well, it’s a goal. You have to set goals for yourself. I’m trying to move forward to do it. There are great players fighting for the No. 1 as well. It’s gonna be a very good fight, I guess. But hopefully, I can recover it soon."
Alcaraz is a highly competitive tennis player with very high ambitions. He wants to win as much as possible and obviously be number one as long as possible. He lost the top spot in the ATP Rankings last year, but he is in a fairly solid position to gain it back.
It probably won't happen in the coming weeks because the 20-year-old has quite a lot of points to defend. He has 250 this week; he has the final from last year's Rio Open and also the Indian Wells Open, which he won. He also had a good run in Miami, so he'll have plenty of points to defend there as well.
Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, didn't play at those events this year, and that, on top of the 800-point lead he has right now, makes it really tough for Alcaraz to dethrone him in the coming weeks.
Current ATP Rankings (February 12, 2024):
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Novak Djokovic | 9855 |
| 2. | Carlos Alcaraz | 9055 |
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