The Murcian tennis player will face the Japanese for the first time this Wednesday
Carlos Alcaraz He already knows his first rival at the Paris Masters, tournament that will last throughout this week. The Murcian tennis player will debut against Japanese Yoshihito Nishiokanumber 38 in the ranking and who on Monday beat Russian Aslan Karatsec by a clear 6-3, 6-4.
Waiting to know the time of the clash, scheduled for this Wednesday, Carlos Alcaraz will face the 27-year-old Japanese tennis player for the first time. The Murcian shouldn’t have any problems getting through this first round, although he shouldn’t be overconfident. This is the second time that the number one in the world has taken to the slopes of Paris-Bercy. Last year he reached the round of 16, being eliminated by Hugo Gaston.
Carlos Alcaraz arrives at this event in Paris after falling in the semifinals of the Basel tournament. Once again the Canadian Auger Aliassime became his black beast, separating him from his first final since he was number one in the world.
In Bercy, the Murcian and Rafael Nadal They will fight to take the crown from Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz has few points to defend in Paris, since last year he fell in the third round. His goal is to consolidate his position to finish the year as number 1, once the Turin ATP Finals are played in November.
The player from El Palmar, who could face each other in a hypothetical final with Djokovic or Nadal, has a particularly thorny draw. In the semis, he could meet Auger-Aliassime himself or the Russian Daniil Medvedev, number 4 in the world.
In the quarters, it could be the Pole Hubert Hurkacz (10) or the Russian Andrey Rublev (8). And already in the third second round, the Italian Matteo Berrettini, number 14 in the world.
“I feel fine”
For its part, the tennis player from El Palmar minimized the problems that he drags in a knee, considered them “normal” for a season finale and asserted that among the favorites for the Paris Masters is his executioner in Basel, the Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, whom he sees as “untreatable.”
“I feel good, at the end of the season physical problems come to light and it’s normal, you have to deal with them and show the best version,” Alcaraz said at a press conference before his debut today in Paris-Bercy against Japanese Yoshihito Nishioka. The Spaniard pointed out that “at the end of the season all the players have physical problems” and insisted that in his case “it’s nothing serious.” Among the favorites for this tournament, from which Alcaraz was eliminated last year in the round of 16 by Frenchman Hugo Gaston, he cited Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Felix Auger-Aliassime.
“Felix is intractable, although many other players can win this tournament, I obviously do not take myself off that list,” he said, cracking a smile. Finishing as number one in the world in 2022 does not take away his sleep, assured the Spanish tennis player.