Alcaraz loses against Dimitrov and misses out on quarter finals, world number one spot unlikely

Everything is easier said than done. It’s also easy to say it from the outside, but perhaps Carlos Alcaraz’s demanding season is becoming a bit too long for him. The Spaniard had a kind-looking run towards the final of the Shanghai tournament, with Medvedev, Sinner, Rune, Tsitsipas, Ruud, Fritz and Zverev all going home in the earlier rounds, but Alcaraz himself will now pack his bags after being unable to overcome Dimitrov in the last 16.

He lost against the better player on the day, someone who knew rightly how to overturn a deficit and win 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in 2 hours and 10 minutes. He will now face Nicolás Jarry, who beat Argentine Diego Schwarzmann 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes.

Can Alcaraz make the world number one spot?

Alcaraz, given the loss, knows that his chances of finishing the season as world number one are also diminishing, and will most likely fail in his challenge of usurping Novak Djokovic at the top. He needed to get to the semi-finals of his second tournament in China in order to keep the hope alive of reaching the Serbian in the rankings.

Dimitrov, for his part didn’t give Alcaraz a moment to breathe. A quarter-finalist of the tournament in 2017, he is one of two Masters 1000 champions (Cincinnati 2017) still in contention, the other being Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz (Miami 2021). It is the fifth time he has beaten a top-10 player in 2022.

How many games has Alcaraz played this season?

Alcaraz is undoubtedly extremely tired after a long season of 72 games (not counting the 4 he played in the Hopman Cup, two singles and two doubles), as well as an excellent record of 63-9, 6 titles (Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, Queen’s and Wimbledon) plus two more finals (Cincinnati and Rio). The Spaniard also got to the semi-finals in Miami, Roland Garros, US Open and Beijing, as well as the quarter-finals in Toronto.

His only slip up was against Marozsan who made it to the quarter-finals in Shanghai, but he was 135th in the ranking at that moment in time. With success there is often a physical expenditure, even for a 20-year-old titan. Carlitos is evidence of that with the bandage he was wearing under his shorts on his left leg ever since Wimbledon.

Dimitrov put in the perfect performance

Dimitrov must be credited for the win and domination of Alcaraz during the entire game, even in the first set which he lost. Perhaps he dropped his concentration levels after winning the next battle which meant he had to come back from 4-0 down, but come back he did. He won 73% (16/22) of points when moving forward and 89% (16/18) of his first-serve points in the third set.

All the angry screams from the Spaniard did not help him in his quest to victory against impeccable tennis from the Bulgarian, who played with class and technique throughout; when it works, he is a delightful player to watch. Six years ago he was compared to Roger Federer and was being tipped as a future legend of the sport: when he plays like he did against Alcaraz, it is clear to see why. “It’s a bit of a statement. Grigor Dimitrov is still here.” he said, “I never left. 15 years already. So I’m still here. I’m not going anywhere.”

‘I think that rattled him a bit’

“Believing in the game. I knew what I had to do against him” Dimitrov continued, “I knew I had to apply constant pressure against him. Even if I was down, I had to keep putting him uncomfortable positions. He’s a player that doesn’t like to be on the back foot. I mean, which player does, right? I kept using every opportunity I had. I was coming in a bit. Tried to put him in awkward positions. I think that rattled him a bit.”

The Spaniard, despite the small disappointment, can leave with his head held high and his future is still as bright as ever. His next stop, if he does not decide against it, will be the ATP 500 in Basel from 23 to 29 October.