Where will Carlos Alcaraz play during first quarter of 2024? Calendar confirmed with no Australian Open warm-ups

Carlos Alcaraz has outlined his schedule for the first three months of the 2024 ATP Tour season, featuring a total of five tournaments where he will defend two titles and one final. The season kicks off with the Australian Open, an event he missed in 2023 due to injury. A triumph at this tournament could potentially propel him back to the world No. 1 ranking.

Following the Australian Open, Alcaraz will head to the South American swing to compete in the Argentinian Open and Rio Open, concluding the month of March by participating in the 'Sunshine Double' with Indian Wells and Miami in his path.

Similar to Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz has opted not to play ATP tournaments to prepare for his Aussie Open campaign (January 14-28). He will enter the tournament without an official match since his defeat in the ATP Finals semifinals against 'Nole.' The Spanish sensation aims to arrive in good form after a rigorous preseason and quickly find his competitive rhythm, benefiting from the fact that he won't face any top-30 opponents until the third round.

Since Alcaraz did not play in Melbourne last year, he can only accumulate points, while Djokovic must defend his title. This presents an opportunity for the 2-times Grand Slam champion to reclaim the world No. 1 spot if he clinches the title or advances to the final stages while Djokovic exits early in the tournament.

After Australia, Alcaraz will return to the South American circuit, where he commenced his previous season. He will first participate in the ATP 250 Argentinian Open (February 12-18), defending his 2023 title against Cam Norrie. Subsequently, he will travel to the ATP 500 Rio Open (February 19-25), aiming to go one step further than last year, where he lost to Norrie in the final.

Following his clay court tournaments in South America, Alcaraz will venture to the United States for the traditional Sunshine Double, featuring two Masters 1000 events. First up is Indian Wells (March 6-17), where he defends his title after defeating Daniil Medvedev in the 2023 final. He then heads to the Miami Open (March 20-31), where he reached the semifinals last year but succumbed to the Italian Jannik Sinner.