Smiling through: Carlos Alcaraz won't let Wimbledon defeat get him down

Straits Times

3 days ago

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CINCINNATI – Carlos Alcaraz says he has refused to let his Wimbledon final loss to Jannik Sinner wipe the smile from his face as he prepares for his start at the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters.
The world No. 2, defeated in a Grand Slam final for the first time in his career last month, spent his first full day at the Cincinnati site on Aug 6 and said he is ready for a reboot during the second half of the season.
'Even though I lost, I left the court proud after Wimbledon,' the 2023 Cincinnati finalist said. 'But the goals can change during the second half of the season.
'My goal is to keep doing the right thing and improving. I want to enjoy my time on and off the court. But I also want to try and recover the No. 1 ranking by the end of the year.'
The Spaniard, who joined the top-ranked Sinner in skipping the ongoing ATP Toronto Masters, said he spent a refreshing three weeks at home in Spain after his Wimbledon defeat.
'I took a week off, not doing anything. Then I started training at home and visiting with friends and family. Just being at home in the summer – I couldn't believe it,' he said.
'I tried to make the most of my time. I wanted to come strong to Cincy.'
Alcaraz, who beat Sinner in the French Open final before falling to the Italian at Wimbledon, also said he is 'happy to be building such a rivalry'.
'We've done a lot in tennis in a short period of time,' he said. 'People talk about what we have done for the history books. But we have long careers ahead of us... let's see how far we can go.'
Sinner, meanwhile, gave tepid approval to the 12-day jumbo version of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Masters while confessing that he would actually prefer to keep the event to the usual one week length.
He will be defending his title at the final big event prior to the Aug 24 start of the US Open.
Extending the ongoing Canada event – and Cincinnati – to 12 days with 96-player draws also means that WTA and ATP events in Canada will stage unorthodox finals on Aug 7 while play is beginning in Cincinnati.
Sinner said that given the choice he would opt for the classic system of one-week events for an increasingly crowded calendar.
'We (top players) cannot control everything,' the Italian said. 'The fans now have two weekends to hopefully watch some good tennis.
'That is exactly what we need in this sport. I would prefer a one-week event, it's something that I like. But it's OK, I'm here and I'm very happy.'
Other top-10 players, including Novak Djokovic and Alex de Minaur, have also complained in recent days about the wholesale calendar rewrite which has the enthusiastic endorsement of the ATP and WTA.
Like Alcaraz, Sinner also said that he enjoyed his time away from the courts, spending time at home with family and friends.
'Then it was back to practice to try and get as ready as possible for the US swing,' he added.
Players can be extra motivated as the US Open has announced US$90 million in prize money will be on offer at this year's final Grand Slam, marking the largest purse in tennis history, up 20 per cent from 2024.
Top stars in the ATP and WTA called for more equitable distribution of revenue at the four Slams this year, as those at the top of the game are able to benefit from increased prize money while players at the lower levels often struggle.
The US Open prize pool is up from US$75 million in 2024, the previous highest-ever purse. Men's and women's singles winners will earn US$5 million each, up from US$3.6 million last year.
The tournament will also see double-digit percentage increases across all rounds in all events. AFP, REUTERS