Carlos Alcaraz’s ailing body means anticipated duels with Novak Djokovic must wait

Carlos Alcaraz seems to have missed the memo. The one that says his rivalry with Novak Djokovic will capture the sports world’s attention in the final months of the year and propel the sport into 2024. But it’s not happening.

While this may not come as a surprise in a highly competitive sport centered around knockout tournaments, there is irony in the fact that their anticipated duel will have to wait again due to another unexpected loss by Alcaraz at the Rolex Masters in Paris.

For the second consecutive year, Alcaraz, a two-time Grand Slam champion, is struggling towards the end of the tennis season. At just 20 years old, fatigue and nagging injuries shouldn’t be a factor.

“I didn’t feel well in the game,” said the reigning Wimbledon champion after losing in straight sets to Roman Safiullin, ranked 45th in the world. “I have a lot of room for improvement in terms of physical movement.”

Meanwhile, Djokovic has once again emerged from his in-season break looking rejuvenated and ready to secure the year-end top ranking for a record eighth time if he performs well in Paris and at the ATP Tour Finals in Turin later this month.

At 36 years old, Djokovic has mastered managing his body’s workload, rarely playing more than one tournament before a Grand Slam (except before the French Open) in order to prioritize his health and longevity over money and rankings points.

However, he is currently at the top of both lists, having won three of this year’s four Grand Slams and losing to Alcaraz in an epic final at Wimbledon.

Djokovic defeated Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3, 6-2 to advance to the Paris tournament’s final 16, where he will face Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands.

This was Djokovic’s first match in six weeks, his last competitive match being at the Davis Cup one week after winning his 24th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.

Prior to the Paris tournament, Djokovic revealed that he had spent the past month training to improve his precision and accuracy, knowing that he wouldn’t have much time to prepare for the end of the season. He also enjoyed activities like golf and spending time with his family. “But tennis, I’m missing tennis,” he expressed.

Alcaraz withdrew from the Davis Cup in September, where he would have faced Djokovic as part of Serbia’s match against Spain.

Djokovic’s decision to represent Serbia was largely driven by the prospect of facing Alcaraz. However, after Alcaraz’s semi-final loss at the U.S. Open, he chose to skip the competition in order to rest. Last year, Alcaraz played the Davis Cup shortly after winning his first Grand Slam title, resulting in physical exhaustion after months of intense play. He ultimately suffered from an abdominal injury and was unable to participate in the Tour Finals, which Djokovic won. At that event, Alcaraz showed up to accept the award for finishing the year as the world No 1, albeit in an ill-fitting blue blazer. Understandably, he expressed disappointment at not being able to play. Additionally, Alcaraz strained his hamstring while training for the Australian Open, causing him to miss the year’s first Grand Slam, which Djokovic won.

Upon Alcaraz’s return in February, he aggravated his injury and withdrew from a tournament in Mexico. Later, he experienced a hand injury and muscle soreness in his spine, causing him to miss the Monte Carlo Masters.

In the semi-finals of the French Open against Djokovic, he suffered from stress-induced cramping throughout his entire body and barely managed to finish the last two sets. Despite this setback, he went on to win Wimbledon and remained healthy throughout the summer. However, he did not win another tournament, falling to Djokovic in a nearly four-hour final near Cincinnati in August and losing to Daniil Medvedev at the U.S. Open.

Following his loss at the U.S. Open, Alcaraz tweeted, “The schedule is very demanding. Now it’s time to recharge my batteries.”

This rest period has produced mixed results for Alcaraz. Since the U.S. Open, he has a 5-3 record, including his loss to Safiullin, who has had some notable victories this fall but has never been ranked higher than 41st.

More concerning, however, are Alcaraz’s ongoing health issues. He withdrew from a tournament in Basel last month due to minor back and foot injuries.

Before the Paris tournament, Alcaraz stated that he was fit to play, albeit not at 100%. He acknowledged that all players, including himself, experience pain at this stage of the season but assured he had mostly recovered since returning from Asia.

“I’m entering this tournament feeling well enough,” he said.

Last month in China, Alcaraz confessed to thinking about Djokovic every day during practice and trying to learn from his unmatched level of concentration and focus in every match. This week in Paris, he had the opportunity to practice with Djokovic, which he described as an ideal way to prepare for the tournament.

Reference