Carlos Alcaraz is a fairly young tennis player but he's already been described as a future legend, something he tries to ignore.
Alcaraz has had a very interesting relationship with pressure so far in his career. At times he was completely dismissive of it describing himself as capable of rising above it but at other times he also succumbed to it. The most noticeable example of the latter came at Roland Garros earlier this year against Novak Djokovic.
He didn't exactly wow anybody against Daniil Medvedev either, but even with that, the Spaniard is widely described as a player who will dominate and carry the sport for the next decade. While flattering, it's also an unnecessary comparison for the Spaniard who just wants to compete and see what happens as he said at the 2023 China Open in Beijing.
Well, I don't feel that pressure. For me is great to be surrounded by legends and hear good words from them. But I try not to take as important as it is. It's just be happy to hear that and try to simulate it on the court, you know, my joy. It's something great for me, but I try not to listen it too much.
While he might not feel the pressure to live up to those comparisons, Alcaraz certainly has pressure, and he's dealt with it in different ways depending on the occasion. There shouldn't be much pressure right now because he's not number one anymore.
Even so, Novak Djokovic is not in Asia and won't play until the final few weeks of the calendar, making him still the biggest star on the Tour. We'll see how he responds and if he puts together a good run to end the year. He had an injury last year, so missed much of the indoor season, including the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals.
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