"This is the time of the year that isn’t as important": Tennis analyst believes Carlos Alcaraz prioritising Asian swing was a wrong move

According to tennis analyst Gill Gross, Carlos Alcaraz shouldn't put too much emphasis on the Asian tour and he draws a comparison with Rafael Nadal.

After the US Open, the young Spaniard continued his schedule by traveling to Asia to play the ATP 500 China Open and then the Masters 1000 Shanghai Open. After losing the world No. 1 spot in Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz aimed to achieve good results to close the gap with Novak Djokovic, who had already announced he wouldn't go to Asia.

Despite securing several victories, these results may not have been what Alcaraz was expecting. He reached the semifinals of the China Open and then the round of 16 in Shanghai. In the latest episode of "Monday Match Analysis," tennis analyst Gill Gross responded to a fan who suggested that Alcaraz should reduce his workload and limit his tournament participation. However, Gross disagreed with this idea.

"This is the time of the year that isn’t as important because there’s no Major that you’re working towards. So why is Shanghai more important than Rome? It’s not. It’s probably less important than Rome," he explained

"In the rankings it’s not, prize money… prestige it’s not. But in terms of Alcaraz wanting to be at his best, if you ask ‘Do you want to be the best in Rome or Shanghai?’, he’s going to pick Rome."

The analyst explained his stance by using the example of the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Rafa Nadal. The 37-year-old Spaniard has won 69 ATP tournaments, in addition to his Grand Slam titles, but only three of them came during the Asian tour.

"There’s no reason to prioritize this time of the year, if you’re Carlos Alcaraz. I mean, look at the career Rafa [Nadal] has had, not doing well after the US Open, basically ever… he’s still had the career he’s had," Gross added.