Carlos Alcaraz returns to play next week in North America, the origin of his explosion as a tennis player. There he wowed New York audiences nearly a year ago when he slipped into the quarter-finals of the US Open. Last April, also in the United States, he lifted his first major title, the Miami Masters 1000. This time, in the neighboring country, Alcaraz wants to recover from his last two lost finals and reaffirm himself as one of the best current tennis players.

It will be the debut of the Murcian in the Canadian Masters 1000, since last year he did not play it because his “ranking” did not give him access to the final table. This year, he is the second favorite, after the defeats of Rafa Nadal and Alexander Zverev, both injured. Of course, Alcaraz hasn’t stepped on the hard court in official competition for four months, when he swept Casper Ruud in the Florida tournament final. It was the day when the Alcaraz phenomenon was consolidated, the biggest shock on the ATP circuit in recent years.

More pressure for Alcaraz, who will start in the second round against Tommy Paul or Vasek Pospisil. An opportunity to gain sensations, because the Murcian usually costs him the first game after changing surfaces. The following season, he will probably cross paths with Marin Cilic, Karen Khachanov or Francisco Cerúndolo, a young man who behaves better on hard courts but who reaches the semi-finals in Miami, clearly his best result in a Masters 1000.

Italian rival or Tsitsipas before the final

Either way, the real battle will begin in the quarter-finals. In the draw, Alcaraz dodged the main favorites. In addition to Rublev (fifth seed), he could also face Taylor Fritz, champion in Indian Wells, the other Masters 1000 disputed this year on cement. However, the most dreaded duel will be the semi-finals: Jannik Sinner, who rocked him in his last two duels, the dangerous striker Matteo Berrettini or even Stefanos Tsitsipas, whose morale is to be fed, since he has defeated in his three confrontations. Between the two, they add three of the seven defeats suffered by the Murcian in 2022. Other favorites such as Medvedev, current champion, and Hurkacz would be the rival in the final.

It won’t be easy to deal with second seed status, but Alcaraz has reason to believe. His record is 14-2 this year on hard courts; He only fell on Nadal and Berrettini. In addition, neither the Spaniard nor Djokovic, the two giants of the circuit, will compete in the tournament. And he defends fewer points than other favorites in the next two Masters 1000: only a first round in Cincinnati, next tournament, which will be skipped to be one of the first seeds.