A Carlos Alcaraz unknown, with his smile erased, bid farewell to the Paris Masters 1000 ATP at the start. It did not surpass his debut. He was a Russian victim Roman Safiullin, 26 years old, world No. 45 and from the qualifying phase, 6-3 and 6-4 in an hour and 37 minutes of the worst game the Murcian has seen in a long time. Throughout the season, for sure.
At 20 years old, the tennis player from El Palmar has already expressed signs of concern on the China tour. He cheated to reach the semifinals in Beijing, he was undone by Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 16 in Shanghai. Saw a Alcaraz already downcast, somewhat burned out after 72 individual matches (63-9), winning six titles, including Wimbledon.
Discomfort in the sole of the left foot and fatigue in the lower back were the reasons given in the medical report for not competing in the ATP ‘indoor’ in Basel, before Paris. He went to Asia to beat Novak Djokovic in the fight for the world No. 1, he fell behind and fell short of 500 points in the Swiss tournament.
The 500-point lead Djokovic has over Alcaraz could grow in Paris, where the Serbian makes his debut this Wednesday against the Argentine Tomas Martín Etcheverry.
However, the number 1 of the year cannot be solved mathematically in Paris because a Djokovic The champion will have 1,490 points against Alcaraz, and an undefeated champion in the Turin Finals adds 1,500.
That means, in this case, Alcaraz must win his five matches at the Masters and Djokovic must lose three of his group, as this is an event that only awards points for victories.
It’s all in Djokovic’s hands, what he does in Paris, although he won’t be proclaimed No. 1 in 2023 to Turin.
This is the world ranking
1. Novak Djokovic (Srb) 8,945
2. Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) 8,445
3. Daniil Medvedev (Russia) 7,145
4. Jannik Sinner (Ita) 5,400
5. Andrey Rublev (Russian) 4,410
6. Stefanos Tsitsipas (Gree) 3,875
7. Alexander Zverev (Ale) 3,460
8. Holger Rune (Also) 3,280
9. Hubert Hurkacz (Pol) 3,065
10. Taylor Fritz (USA) 3,055
Source: La Verdad
I’m Robert Maynard, and I am a passionate journalist with experience in sports writing. For the last few years, I have been writing for Today Times Live. My main focus has been on sports-related stories and features. With my strong background in journalism and extensive knowledge of the industry, I am able to provide readers with well-crafted pieces that are both informative and engaging.
