Carlos Alcaraz not under pressure to regain world No.1 ranking

• Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is not under pressure to get back the world No.1 ranking
• Novak Djokovic rose to the top after winning the 2023 Australian Open
• Alcaraz is still not far behind Novak Djokovic who is the current world No. 1

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz is not under pressure to get back the world No.1 ranking which he lost after missing the 2023 Australian Open.

This is according to his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero. Despite losing the 500 ranking points he gained in Rio, Alcaraz is still not far behind Novak Djokovic who is the current world No. 1.

Djokovic rose to the top from world No.5 before the Australian Open. Alcaraz will begin his season this week at the ATP 250 Argentina Open in Buenos Aires before the ATP 500 event of 2023 begins next week.

His coach says that attaining the top ranking in tennis shouldn’t and isn’t an obsession for Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz Australian Open. Photo by Sky SPorts

“The goal of being No 1 is always in the mind but, naturally, it is not an obsession, because of his youth and because he has already been (there),” Ferrero told Tennis Infinity.

His focus at the moment is staying healthy and competing at the highest level in tennis.

“Right now, what Carlos wants is to be healthy and be able to compete, he wants to show his best level and fight to win tournaments,” he added.

Alcaraz’s mindset is fixed on winning and he knows it won’t be easy but he is ready to give it a shot as he resumes competing after weeks out of action.

His training squad includes top players and he hopes to learn a few things as he readies to get back on top.

The Spaniard says with a goal in mind, it is easy for him to work towards it and achieve it too. But to get there, his real test is training well physically and keeping an open mind to guard his mental wellness.

So far, he implores that 2022 is his best year yet in the tour because he achieved world No.1 ranking.

It is this success that pushed him to make new challenging goals so that he can grow more and more.

Carlos Alcaraz. Photo/Sky Sports

Alcaraz, who achieved a triumph in Rio, Barcelona, and Madrid last year, is now in a position to win his fourth clay court championship title in Buenos Aires this week.

He did not play at the 2023 Australian Open after picking an injury while going about his routine training. Since his retirement against Holger Rune in the Rolex Paris Masters two months ago, Alcaraz, 19, has not participated in a competitive match.

His right leg injury made it impossible for him to give a shot at a second grand slam. He sustained the injury while training.

The young Spaniard tennis player explained that he worked extremely hard to prepare for the first Grand Slam of 2023, but never made it.  He never expected any of this to happen but he is hopeful that he will still compete in 2024.

In 2022, he advanced to the third round of the Australian Open before beginning his remarkable season by taking first place in the Rio ATP 500 competition in February.