Carlos Alcaraz says it is a goal for him to reclaim the No.1 position as quickly as possible following his first round win at the US Open.
Alcaraz, who is the top seed and defending champion at Flushing Meadows, began his campaign at this year’s tournament with a 6-3, 6-2, ret, win over Dominik Koepfer. The German was forced to retire from their match during the second set due to an ankle injury. The 20-year-old has now won 37 out of his first 45 Grand Slam matches played in his career. According to OptaAce, the only male player in the Open Era to have secured more wins within their first 45 matches before the age of 21 is Mats Wilander (38).
“I was excited to play my first round here in the US Open,” said Alcaraz. “It was great to step on the court again in the Arthur Ashe after such a great run last year. I was excited to come back.”
“I’m not thinking about the defending the title. I just focused on playing at my best level, to recover the level that I played last year and try to do the same things that I did last year. That’s the only thing that I’m thinking right now.”
On the first day of the US Open, Alcaraz’s rival Novak Djokovic secured his return to No.1 when the tournament ends after winning his opening match. The Serbian is not defending any points after missing the Grand Slam last year due to his vaccination status. In contrast, Alcaraz has 2000 points to defend.
Despite knowing that he will soon lose his top spot, the Spaniard says it serves as extra motivation for him. Last year he became the youngest year-end No.1 in ATP rankings history.
“It’s a goal for me. I said before that we are having a really good battle for the No. 1, Novak and I,” Alcaraz commented.
“I knew that he was going to recover the No. 1 after the US Open. When the tournament is over, I will try to recover as soon as possible. That’s my goal. I am working for that.”
“The season has a lot of tournaments until the year is over. I’ll try to recover it before the before the yea ends.”
Alcaraz and Djokovic will only lock horns at the US Open this year if they both make it to the final. Their head-to-head is currently level at 2-2 with Djokovic winning their most recent meeting at the Cincinnati Masters.
Before then, Alcaraz’s focus will be on his next match which will be against South Africa’s Lloyd Harris on Thursday.
