Carlos Alcaraz's 2024: From relentless to downturn in form?

Carlos Alcaraz's 2024 season could be divided into two stages. Until the Olympic Games, the Spaniard was practically relentless, falling in the quarterfinals of Australia but lifting the Roland Garros and Wimbledon trophies, consolidating himself as one of the best tennis players today. However, after losing the final in Paris, the 21 year old tennis player showed a more irregular facet in his game, an aspect that he will have to correct in the face of 2025.

Carlos Alcaraz started 2024 in good shape although he lost to Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. However, he had his revenge against the German in the final of Roland Garros, defeating him in a dramatic 5-set final. Weeks later he defeated Novak Djokovic at the All England and lifted the Wimbledon trophy for the second consecutive time. The Spaniard already has 4 Grand Slam titles at the age of 21.

He currently ranks third with 6,810 points, behind Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev. The German had a better closing of the year and snatched the second place from Alcaraz after the former world No. 1 was stalking the Italian at the top of the ranking until the Shanghai Masters.

With a record of 53 wins and 13 losses, Carlitos at times looked invincible on the court. However, his premature exit in the second round of the US Open would be the first wake-up call;

After returning to his best after winning the Laver Cup as the hero of Team Europe, Alcaraz defeated a Sinner who had just won in the United States in the magnificent final of the China Open.

Because of his style of play, it is possible that the Spaniard ran out of fuel at the end of the year, which would explain the striking defeats in Shanghai with Machac, in Paris with Humbert, and the ATP Finals against Zverev and Ruud.

Looking ahead to 2025, Alcaraz is expected to work on his consistency, especially on fast surfaces where he has struggled. In this regard, his ability to win even when he is not in his best form will be key. Consistency is critical to compete with rivals like Sinner, who currently leads him by more than 4,000 points and does not look like stopping. It will be essential to plan in detail for next season making sure he arrives more rested for the final tournaments of the year.