Carlos Alcaraz impressed in his first match at the Paris Masters, and the Spaniard hopes to win every tournament he enters between now and the end of the season.
The 21-year-old has admitted to losing momentum and suffering from tiredness towards the end of the previous few seasons. That is one reason for his average record at the Paris Masters, but he spoke about being confident of changing that this season.
There were some concerns that Alcaraz would fade away once again in the final months of the season after his lackluster results and performances during the North American swing in August.
After suffering a brutal loss to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics, Alcaraz had not mentally recovered and was defeated in the early rounds of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open.
John McEnroe argued Alcaraz should take two months off after the US Open, worrying about the young star becoming burnt out, which the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion said would harm the sport.
However, Alcaraz has responded strongly since. After helping Spain qualify for the Davis Cup Finals, he played the starring role in Team Europe, winning the Laver Cup for the first time in three years.
That was followed by Alcaraz securing the China Open title. He outlasted Jannik Sinner in the final after over three hours in what was undoubtedly one of the best finals of 2024.
Alcaraz lost to an inspired Tomas Machac in the Shanghai Masters quarterfinal before reaching the final of the Six Kings Slams exhibition in Saudi Arabia. Sinner avenged his China Open loss by beating him in three sets.
The four-time Grand Slam champion is on course for a much better end to the season than previous years after those results, and Alcaraz has not attempted to hide how good he is feeling right now.
Speaking after overcoming Nicolas Jarry at the Paris Masters, Alcaraz said he is playing great, and his goal for the rest of the season is to win every tournament he participates in.
"To win every tournament I play. I think I’m playing great. I’m really proud of myself for the whole year. Just a few tournaments left til the end of the season. I really want to win here. I’ll go week by week and day by day. Hoping for a great result."
Alcaraz has three more titles to fight for between now and the rest of the season. The two-time Wimbledon champion hopes to win an indoor tournament for the first time at the Paris Masters. Sinner's withdrawal improved his chances.
The ATP Finals will follow the final Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Paris. Alcaraz reached the semifinal of the prestigious event in 2023, losing to the eventual champion Djokovic.
Although Alcaraz is a worldwide star, he will not be the center of attention at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga. Rafael Nadal's final professional appearance will be at the tournament, and Alcaraz would love to win the Davis Cup with and for him.
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