Carlos Alcaraz could face shocking drop in rankings after ATP Finals defeat

Carlos Alcaraz could face a shocking drop in the ATP Ranking after he lost his first-round clash against Alexander Zverev at the 2023 ATP Finals, as Daniil Medvedev is now in with a shot of overtaking the Spaniard before the end of the year.

Just a few weeks before the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin, Alcaraz was still talking about the possibility of overtaking Novak Djokovic to end the season as World No. 1. "I train with a goal. I go to the tournaments with a goal. To try to end the year as No. 1. Novak Djokovic is on my mind in almost every practice," he said prior to the Shanghai Masters in October.

However, after failing to reach his full potential on the Asian Swing and suffering a first-round defeat against Roman Safiullin at the Paris Masters, the 20-year-old admitted that there was "no chance" of being year-end No. 1. "I had my chances to be #1, but I couldn't convert them. All I can say is that he [Djokovic] deserves it and that I will fight him next year," he said recently.

However, after losing his first Group Stage match to Alexander Zverev at the 2023 ATP Finals, the two-time Grand Slam champion could actually see his ranking slip further. Alcaraz fought back from a break down to win the first set against the German player, but Zverev came back in the second set and went on to prevail in the decider.

Alcaraz has had to deal with injury in recent weeks which may have caused his form to drop as the season draws to a close. Indeed, this marked his third consecutive loss on the ATP Tour, something which the young talent has not seen since March 2021.

Meanwhile, World No. 3 Medvedev has had a solid run of form toward the end of the season, reaching the final of the China Open and the Vienna Open, although he did also suffer a first-round defeat in Paris. However, he came back strongly in his opening match at the ATP Finals, defeating Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-2.

This has opened the door to the possibility of the 27-year-old finishing the year as World No. 2 ahead of Alcaraz. In order to do so, Medvedev will need to win the tournament which will be no easy feat with Djokovic also playing, but could become a reality given his strong start. The Russian will face Zverev next, while Alcaraz will fight to keep his semi-final chances alive in his clash with Rublev.