SUMMARY
- Daniil Medvedev and Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed decent runs in 2023.
- Alcaraz picked up his second major title at Wimbledon.
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev are two of the best players on the tour at the moment. In 2023, both Medvedev and Alcaraz amazed fans with their exploits on the court. The duo are very competitive players and have won numerous accolades this year alone.
Alcaraz began the year as the world no. 1 but lost the top spot to Novak Djokovic. Despite the loss of rank, Alcaraz had an incredible season overall. Let us take a closer look at how he fared this season.
Carlos Alcaraz at Grand Slams
Carlos was one of the favorites at the Australian Open, as many expected him to ride on the back of his success at the US Open in 2022. Unfortunately, Alcaraz pulled his hamstring and had to sit out of the tournament. The Spaniard made a deep run at the French Open this year and had to play Novak Djokovic in the semifinal. Carlos suffered from cramps in the third set, and Djokovic went on to defeat him in four sets.
View this post on Instagram
Alcaraz had a memorable outing at Wimbledon. He locked horns with Djokovic again in the summit clash and defeated the Serb in the historic final. Carlos thus added a second title to his name at the All England Club.
The Spaniard went into the US Open as the defending champion. Carlos decimated his opponents to make his way to the semifinals before Medvedev got the better of him.
Other ATP events
Alcaraz played his first tournament at the Argentine Open, where he picked up his seventh title by defeating Cameron Norrie. He played the Rio Open next, where he faced Norrie again in the final. This time, the Brit stopped his winning streak.
Another hamstring injury forced Carlos to withdraw from Acapulco. However, Carlos was back to his winning ways soon and won his third Masters title at Indian Wells. He could not defend his title in Miami, though, and another injury saw him withdraw from Monte Carlo.
The Spaniard picked his first title on grass at the Queen’s Club in the lead-up to Wimbledon. Until that point, Carlos had only played three events on grass. He carried his good run of form to the marquee event and picked up his second major title.
The US hard court swing saw him lose to Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals of the Toronto Masters. Next, he faced off against Djokovic in the Cincinnati Open final again. This time, the Serb avenged his Wimbledon loss.
The last quarter of the year was rough on Carlos. He crashed out of tournaments quite early, something that was uncharacteristic of him. However, he made it to the semifinals of the Nitto ATP Finals, where Novak defeated him again.
On the whole, Carlos Alcaraz had a good season. Throughout the year, he lost and regained the top spot and spent a total of 36 weeks as the world no. 1. He finally finished the season as world no. 2.
How did Daniil Medvedev fare in 2023?
The Russian star enjoyed a decent season, even though he was not as successful as in 2022. Medvedev could not win any major titles this year either, and his title drought continued.
Medvedev at Grand Slams
Daniil had made it to the final of the Australian Open in 2022, and many expected him to repeat his run. Unfortunately, Medvedev crashed out in the third round after a shocking defeat at the hands of Sebastian Korda. He did not fare any better at the French Open, and clay is his least favorite surface. Thiago Seyboth Wild showed Daniil the exit door after the first round.
Medvedev had a better outing at Wimbledon. He played a great match against Chris Eubanks to defeat the American and book a spot in the semifinals. Medvedev squared off against Alcaraz, and the Spaniard dispatched him in straight sets.
View this post on Instagram
The former world number one enjoyed his best run at the US Open. Daniil had dropped only two sets on the way to the semifinal, where he locked horns with Carlos again. He played some of the best tennis to defeat Carlos and book a spot in the finals, where he faced Djokovic. Daniil lost in straight sets, as Novak claimed his 24th Grand Slam title.
Other ATP events
Daniil enjoyed a title run in Rome, where he picked up his first-ever clay title. He played phenomenally to dispatch his opponents en route to the finals, where he clashed with Holger Rune. Daniil defeated the young Dane in straight sets. Medvedev followed it up with another title win in Miami.
Daniil made it to the finals of Indian Wells by defeating Alexander Zverev. He was set to play against Carlos, who defeated the Russian star quite easily.
View this post on Instagram
Medvedev won three other hardcourt titles in Rotterdam, Qatar, and Dubai. Additionally, Daniil made it to two more finals in the last half of the season. Medvedev lost to Jannik Sinner on both occasions.
Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev had decent seasons by their own standards. They played each other four times this year alone, with Carlos winning three of the matchups. There were ups and downs for both players, but they bounced back from their losses. Hopefully, both will enjoy an even better season in 2024.