The Spaniard had lost the finals in Cincinnati as well to Nole before losing a second straight clash.

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz had to let go of his Rio Open points without a good chance to defend it. The Spaniard had returned to Brazil in hopes of retaining maximum ranking points having finished runner-up at the tournament last year. He now falls behind in the chase of Novak Djokovic for the World No. 1 spot.

Playing in his first match of the campaign, the Spaniard rolled his ankle on just the second point of the match. He immediately called for his physio and after a small break returned to play. He could survive only for two games as he signaled his withdrawal to the umpire.

His opponent Thiago Monteiro had just broken the Spaniard and won the second game to make it 1-1. But finding himself unable to continue, Alcaraz did not risk worsening the injury. He was applauded by the fans who despite being disappointed showed courtesy for the injured top seed.

Before starting his campaign in Rio, the two-time Major winner spoke to Spanish outlet Marca on various topics. He was questioned particularly about when he last cried after losing a match.

I’m not sure, but I would say after losing in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in Turin against Djokovic.

Said Alcaraz.

“Everyone has their own perception of things. For some, Djokovic is the best, for others it is Rafa, for others it is Federer. Rafa said that he is Djokovic in terms of numbers and I think so too. In terms of numbers, Djokovic is the best in history, there is no doubt about that. I believe that saying who is the best is something that goes beyond numbers. All three are there and for me all three are very big,” he added while talking about his perception of the GOAT.

While many would remember his on-court tears after losing the Cincinnati finals to Nole, the answer from Alcaraz was different but did involve the Serb. Djokovic won their ATP Finals semis 6-3, 6-2 to move into the finals where he defeated Jannik Sinner to win the title for a record 7th time surpassing Roger Federer‘s record.

Carlos Alcaraz claims matching Novak Djokovic’s 24 Majors isn’t easy

While Alcaraz can keep the pressure on Djokovic for the ranking and titles in the current season, he is way too far from matching the Serb’s total Grand Slam titles tally.

Novak Djokovic (L), Carlos Alcaraz (R) (Source: Imago)

Report this ad

With 24 singles Majors, all of them in the Open Era, only Rafael Nadal is in touching distance if considered statistically. But with the King of Clay’s recurring injury struggles, it looks unlikely he can catch up with his fiercest rival. Alcaraz also showed respect to Nole but showed a positive attitude in at least giving it a try.

ADVERTISEMENT

Report this ad

To have Djokovic's 24 majors is to think too much. It's something I'm looking for, obviously, and who wouldn't be looking for that number of Grand Slams or even more, but it's too big to think about

Commented Alcaraz.
Following his exit in Rio, it was confirmed Nole will remain the No. 1 at least till April. This means Djokovic will now have a minimum of 418 weeks as the World No. 1.

The next event for both Alcaraz and Djokovic will be the Indian Wells Masters. The pressure will all be on the reigning Wimbledon champ as Nole returns to the desert for the first time since 2019.