After not playing for a while, Carlos Alcaraz will come back at the 2023 Paris Masters, and he's facing a tall order.
Carlos Alcaraz didn't play last week because he pulled out of the Swiss Indoors in Basel due to an injury, but he'll be back in Paris. The event hasn't been the best event for him as he suffered a terrible loss in 2021, while last year was even worse.
He suffered an abdominal injury that not only prevented him from playing at the ATP Finals but also at the Australian Open, which was a huge disaster for him. Hopefully, things go better for him this year, but some fans are concerned after the Basel withdrawal.
In any case, he's going to need some good tennis to go deep into the draw in Paris. The draw ceremony was held, and his path to the trophy is pretty complicated. A first-round BYE will come in handy, but the second round could see him face players like Alexandre Muller or Cameron Norrie.
If he wins, he could potentially face Karen Khachanov or Max Purcell, and in the quarterfinals, the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, or Ugo Humbert await, which won't be easy.
The potential semi-final opponents are Casper Ruud, Gael Monfils, Sebastian Korda, Hubert Hurkacz, and especially the third-seeded Daniil Medvedev. Novak Djokovic is obviously the first name you think of when you mention the final, but he's not the only good player Alcaraz could face there.
Some other names, such as Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, and others, could also make it to the final. It's a pretty tough path for Alcaraz, and it's going to be interesting to see how he does.
The event itself will probably be used as a way to prepare for Turin because the conditions play rather similarly and both are indoors. He didn't play many indoor events in his career and he can certainly use it.