Alcaraz will play in the night session on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium once again

Carlos Alcaraz will play in the night session on the iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium once again, as he did in his first round match at the 2024 US Open against Australian ace Li Tu. The former world number 1 – champion in New York in 2022 – is still not expressing his best tennis and needs to regain energy after the hard work of the last two months.

The 21-year-old from Murcia has won the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships and the silver medal at the Paris Olympics, proving to be a predestined player. Carlitos missed the Montreal Masters 1000 and played rather badly in Cincinnati, where he was eliminated by French veteran Gael Monfils in the second round.

The four-time Grand Slam champion wants to win his third consecutive Major, so he will become the youngest ever to win five Grand Slam titles. Alcaraz is aware that he has to play better if he wants to get far in this tournament, which has often offered surprising results over the last 10-15 years.

The young Spaniard had many ups and downs during his first-round match, giving up the second set to Tu and committing several unforced unusual errors. Besides Alcaraz, Italian Jannik Sinner and Serbian legend Novak Djokovic also struggled more than expected in the first days of the tournament.

Alcaraz will play in the night session

Carlos Alcaraz will face Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 US Open. The Spaniard – who won both matches against the Dutch – will have to be careful of an opponent who can play without pressure.

“It will be a great match because he is one of the best players in the world. He can do anything with a tennis ball. You don’t know what to expect, in a positive sense; I just have to play. It’s fun to play against him because he varies a lot, and that’s what I like. I’m definitely looking forward to it” – Botic van de Zandschulp said before the match. The former world number 1 will have to perform more regularly if he wants to avoid danger and get to the third round without wasting too much energy.

According to top coach Patrick Mouratoglou, Alcaraz is not the top favourite at the 2024 US Open: “They have chances, but Novak is a step above. Carlos performed poorly in Cincinnati and I see him mentally exhausted, while Sinner continues to struggle with his hip, and his level of play has dropped recently.”

Tennis legend John McEnroe also warned Carlitos: “Alcaraz is my favourite player to watch right now. He can do everything and he does it all so well. It seems almost impossible that he would be that positive every week, that he can win as often as he does at that age. The smile, everything about him, it’s hard to believe he doesn’t get frustrated in a sport that is as frustrating as tennis is.

Trust me, I know what it’s like to get frustrated in tennis! I think that defeat in Cincinnati was a combination of a lot of factors. Doing what he did in Paris, playing as amazing as he did at Wimbledon, getting to the gold medal match Olympics and playing an amazing match against Novak. I’m sure he felt he needed a little bit more of a break after that. Novak didn’t play, he pulled out of Montreal and Cincinnati, but he is 37 and felt like he needed a break.

Then for Carlos, there is a bit of pressure from the powers that be to play and I think, in retrospect, it would have been better if he hadn’t played at all. So I think that was a bit of a blip in Cincinnati, but I do think it’s going to be a big ask for him to win the US Open emotionally after everything that’s happened over the last few months. How much is in the tank? So that’s why I think it opens the door for someone other than the three guys that we think could win it.”

Carlitos won two Slams this year

If he wants to finish the season at the top of the ATP ranking, Alcaraz needs a great result at the 2024 US Open (where last year he was eliminated by Medvedev in the semifinals).Carlos Alcaraz, US Open 2024© Stream screenshot

During the last press conference, the Spaniard also reflected on his relationship with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic: “We have a good rivalry. Every time that we step on the court, we played really high tennis. Every time that we faced against each other, it has been a really good and intense match. But we have a really good friendship off the court. We talk a lot in the lockers every time that we see each other around. With his team as well. Once we step on the court, there are no friends here on tour, but after that, after the court, I have a really good relationship with a lot of players, and one of them is Novak.”