Carlos Alcaraz is resting after winning the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, a great achievement that does not hide the missed opportunity to win also the gold medal to crown an amazing month and a half.
After winning the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, the 21-year-old from Murcia was the big favourite to win the gold medal on the same red clay as Roland Garros. The Spanish champion reached the final without losing a single set, but was surprised by the level of Novak Djokovic in the final.
The Serbian – who was defeated by Carlitos in the final of Wimbledon a few weeks ago – has expressed his best tennis in the final of the Paris Olympics and has succeeded in fulfilling the last great dream of his legendary career.
Carlos burst into tears after the final, but he has been letting go of his disappointment as the hours have passed and thanked the Spanish fans for supporting him during the tournament. The four-time Grand Slam champion said he will do everything possible to win the gold medal in Los Angeles 2028, where it will be played on the hard court.
Alcaraz’s draw in Cincinnati
Alcaraz is still playing an exceptional season, in which he won two Grand Slam titles (French Open and Wimbledon) and a Masters 1000 (Indian Wells). Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed a few days of vacation in Mallorca before returning to train for the Cincinnati Masters 1000. The Spaniard – who will have to defend last year’s final – will become number 2 ATP overtaking Novak Djokovic if he reaches at least the quarterfinals in Ohio.
In Cincinnati, Carlos will have a bye in the first round and face the winner of the match between Monfils and Popyrin in the second round. In the third round there should be one between Holger Rune and Matteo Berrettini, before the quarterfinals against Casper Ruud or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
In the semi-final there may be a new challenge against Daniil Medvedev, although the Russian will have to watch out for the Polish Hubert Hurkacz. Fans and tournament organisers are hoping for a final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who should be the benchmarks of the men’s tour in the next ten years. Carlitos has said several times that he wants to become one of the greatest ever and is on the right way to do so.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, ATP legend Boris Becker opened up on Alcaraz’s future: “The question is, how long can he stay hungry and how long can he stay injury free? He plays a very physical brand of tennis and he has been prone to injuries in the past, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that he can stay fit. Look, if he can keep it going at his current levels for 10 years, I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t have double-digit Grand Slam titles. That means he will get to ten and then who knows how many. What we have to say is there is a long road ahead and there are a lot of things that can come around the corner.”
Carlitos wants to impress
Alcaraz is very popular with fans due to its style of play full of amazing shots. Former world number 1 admitted he is trying to balance instinct and rationality: “Many times I feel more restrained than I should because of Ferrero. Because of what might happen to me later. Yes, I notice it, yes. Every time I do one of those shots that are not supposed to be taken, the ones for fun, sometimes I don’t even look at it because I know that he’s going to give me a slap from the box.
Sometimes I have to go for the effective one rather than the other options. Sometimes I do it because I feel so nervous and it’s the kind of thing that relaxes me. Because I’ve got a smile on my face doing disaster sometimes. In that moment I was feeling really calm. I was feeling that I can do these kind of shots. I have the confidence that when I hit these shots, I think they’re going to go in. Sometimes as I said, it’s a disaster. But it helps me a lot to relax, smile, and have fun on the court. But sometimes it’s difficult to do the simple shots.”
If he overtakes Djokovic before the US Open, Carlitos would be guaranteed to face Jannik Sinner at the US Open not before the final. Alcaraz and Sinner have faced each other twice this year, with the Spaniard prevailing at both Indian Wells and the French Open.