Carlos Alcaraz appears to have two objectives within reach at this year's Shanghai Masters, but he'll most certainly need to win the title to achieve them.
Recently, Alcaraz made an honest confession that Djokovic has occupied his mind at almost every practice session. Even though the Serbian is not present at this year's Asian swing, Alcaraz can't shake him off as long his goals remain attainable.
Alcaraz is hunting down Novak Djokovic in order to finish as the ATP's year-end No. 1 for a second year in a row. And he can overtake the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the race this week by reaching the final of the Shanghai Masters at the very least.
Alcaraz is also in pole position to take over as the ATP's highest prize earner this season should he win the Shanghai title. The 20-year-old has amassed $9,506,924 in prize money in 2023, sitting second behind Djokovic who remains the only player, across both tours, to have crossed the $10 million mark this season.
Winning the Shanghai Masters guarantees a paycheck worth $1,262,220. In the event Alcaraz manages to win his first title on Chinese soil this weekend, he'll take his season's tally to $10,769,144. Djokovic who is on top for now has earned $10,590,175.
It was not long ago that Alcaraz eclipsed the $20 million mark in career earnings on the tennis court. Having made his ATP debut at the age of 16 in 2020, and cementing his spot in the Top 30 of the ATP's top earners of all time, sitting in 29th spot.
The Murcia native has navigated his way into the fourth round of the Shanghai Masters on his tournament debut. And two of his biggest challengers this week (Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner) have exited the tournament, leaving him as the odds-on favorite to win it all.
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