Carlos Alcaraz has suffered a setback as he lost out in the second round of the Paris Masters to Roman Safiullin in straight sets. The loss bears significant importance due to the fact that it has reduced the chances of Alcaraz to finish the year as world no.1, considerably. The defeat in Paris also meant that the Spaniard’s barren run of form continued.
As a result, Alcaraz received a huge backlash from fans who started to criticize his poor showings in recent times, quite vehemently. One of the fans was quite skeptical of his average show after Wimbledon and added, “He used to be a tier ahead so much so that people automatically put him in the final. Now anyone has a chance….”
Why has Alcaraz become average after Wimbledon? He used to be a tier ahead so much so that people automatically put him in the final. Now anyone has a chance. He was our only to stop ND which means he will get 30 slams smh he will never be goat regardless. Context matters
— 🤔 (@Jamaica658) October 31, 2023
Fans felt that the only player capable of stopping Novak Djokovic from attaining 30 slams has also started to fade away. Another fan felt that “He talks to much with Djokovic!!…” Adding that Alcaraz always wanted to be the number one in the world and that has consumed him, the fan stated, “Djokovic on the other hand he is not scared of anyone or anything ! Is a process !! …”
He talk to much with Djokovic !! He’s head was to be number one and that consume him !! Djokovic on the other had he is not scared of anyone or anything ! Is a process !! The more he thought about number 1 the harder it gets ! Good luck in Turin !
— simona m (@simybv81) November 1, 2023
Another fan trolled Carlos Alcaraz’s age by stating, “Soy-boy Carlos Alcaraz.“ The fan didn’t stop there as he doubled up stating that Alcaraz was on the lookout for a role model who is strong and masculine.
Soy-boy Carlos Alcaraz has tried desperately to shake off his vaccine injuries and join the side of Novax Djokovic. Sadly, the burden of the Pfizer MRNA vaccine proved to be too much for him to overcome, as Carlos is still seeking a strong masculine alpha role model in his life.
— Saudi Sports Letter (@ATP_Saudi) October 31, 2023
Some just felt that the Spaniard got outplayed and is not giving credit to his opponent, while others were of the opinion that he is obsessed with the world no.1 ranking, which is retarding his progress. Few fans chose to wish him the best for Turin, where the ATP Finals is going to be held.
Carlos Alcaraz breaks silence after at Paris Masters and what’s next for him
In the match against Roman Safiullin, Alcaraz went on to drop his serve four times and made 27 unforced errors compared to the 21 made by the Russian. Safiullin converted four break points out of the eight he had and saved two of the four break points on his serve to register the biggest victory of his career. Alcaraz looked rusty on his return from the injury hiatus and looked far from being at his best.
After the match, Alcaraz stated, “I just didn’t feel well on the court.” Adding that he has a lot of scope for improvement and practice more, the Spaniard said, “… I didn’t move well. In the shots, I think I had a good quality of shots. But physically in the part of movement, I have to improve a lot.”
It was the first time Carlos has taken to the court since his round-of-16 loss to Grigor Dimitrov at the Shanghai Masters. It is worth mentioning that Carlos also withdrew from the event in Basel due to niggles concerning his foot and back. As far as titles are concerned, Alcaraz leads the list with six this year, but he has not clinched any trophy since winning Wimbledon.
Next up for Alcaraz would be the ATP Finals in Turin, regarding which he stated, “I have time before the ATP Finals, a lot of days of practice to be able to reach that level, the level that I want to play.” According to the Spaniard, he would like to take some time to think before commencing his preparations.
The difference between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz was only 500 points before the Paris Masters. Though Alcaraz lost early Djokovic won’t be able to seal the year-end no.1 spot in Paris, with Alcaraz getting 10 points for the second-round loss. The Paris Masters awards 1000 points to the winner while the ATP Finals awards 1500 points to the title winner.