Carlos Alcaraz will be looked at as one of the favourites to win the 4th Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, which starts on August 26, next week. But he will be lacking what two of his biggest challengers for the title will have. Those two challengers are Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
In the Cincinnati Open which concluded with Jannik Sinner defeating Frances Tiafoe 7-6(4), 6-2, Carlos Alcaraz showed one of his worst performances since rising to the very top of the Tennis world in recent years. The Spaniard couldn’t get further than the 2nd round of the Hardcourt tournament after he was beaten by Gael Monfils in three sets: 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. The fast-paced conditions at Cincinnati seemed a bit too much for Alcaraz and he even smashed his racket out of frustration.
This loss came after his Olympic Final defeat in Paris against Novak Djokovic. These back-to-back losses might be the difference between him and Sinner & Djokovic when it comes to the US Open. Their winning momentum might prove to be the deciding X Factor in New York. Jannik Sinner is coming off his Cincinnati Open victory, while Djokovic outplayed Alcaraz to clinch his first-ever Olympic Gold.
Carlos Alcaraz Still the Strongest Contender, Here’s Why
While the odds seem to be stacked against the 21-year-old heading into the US Open, he is still the leading favourite and there are two primary reasons for that. Firstly, it is his winning mentality and the fact that he is a big game player which still makes him the player one would want to bet money on. Since his first Grand Slam win in 2022, Carlos Alcaraz has went on to win 2 back to back Wimbledons, a French Open and an Olympic Silver in Paris. With three of these accomplishments coming in the last 3 months, Carlos Alcaraz is not someone others can ignore when talking about the upcoming US Open.
Secondly, Carlos Alcaraz always seems to perform well in the US Open when he’s coming off a disappointing showing in the lead up to it. For example, before his US Open debut, Alcaraz crashed out of the first round at the Cincinnati Open in 2021 and only managed a Semi-Final finish at the Winston-Salem Open. His impressive debut in New York saw him reach the Quarterfinals of the Grand Slam defeating the likes of the then World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas in his campaign.
The Following year, prior to winning his first Grand Slam title, Carlitos exited the Canadian Open in the Round of 32 further managing only a Quarterfinal finish in the Cincinnati Open. The following year he had his best preparation before the US Open, yet could only manage the Semifinals in New York.
