"Jannik Sinner is going to reach World No. 1 in 2024" - Carlos Alcaraz makes bold statement after Italian's takedown of Novak Djokovic at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz believes Jannik Sinner will have a real shot of becoming the World No. 1 next year, especially after watching the Italian take down Novak Djokovic at the ongoing ATP Finals.

In their second group-stage clash, Sinner defeated Djokovic 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in an exhausting battle that lasted more than three hours. Alcaraz also won his second group match in Turin, beating Andrey Rublev 7-5, 6-2 in straight sets.

Speaking at his press conference afterwards, the Spaniard was asked about his thoughts on the match between the Italian and the Serb. Alcaraz lavished praise on the duo for treating fans to a high-quality contest, adding that he personally enjoyed the encounter a lot.

The World No. 2 was also wary of the prospect of facing Sinner in front of the Italian's home crowd at the ATP Finals, a very real possibility at this stage.

"As a huge fan of tennis, it was one of the best matches of the year. It was high quality of tennis. It was an unbelievable match. Really close one. I think everybody enjoy that match. Probably a few of them was a lot of nerves watching it. For me, I really enjoyed this match. It was unbelievable," Alcaraz said.

"Honestly, it would be really tough if I face Jannik in Italy. The crowd is going to be behind him. But who knows. I would love to play that battle against him. Every match that we face each other is an amazing match, so let's see," he added.

Asked whether he now considers the 22-year-old a serious Grand Slam contender for next year, Carlos Alcaraz answered in the affirmative, stating that Sinner could even push for the World No. 1 given how well is playing now.

"Absolutely. I have no doubts about it. He is one of the those guys who are able to win a Grand Slam. I think he's going to reach the World No. 1 in 2024 or he's going to give himself the chance to reach the No. 1. That's my prediction," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"The American swing was good for me, I don't take that as a failure" - Carlos Alcaraz

Italy Tennis ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz then spoke about his own finish to the season, stating that while he did not win a title during the North American hardcourt swing (reached the Cincinnati final and US Open semifinals), he did not consider it a failure.

The Asian swing, on the other hand, was a disappointment for the reigning Wimbledon champion, who admitted that he would have liked to end the year in a better fashion.

Alcaraz had a shot of overtaking Djokovic in the year-end World No. 1 race with favorable results in Asia and the Paris Masters, but a string of poor displays put an end to that dream.

Following Djokovic's title run in Paris and a second-round exit for the Spaniard, the former has secured the year-end World No. 1 spot for the season at the ATP Finals this week.

"The American swing was a good swing for me. Even if I didn't take any title, I did a quarterfinals, a finals against Novak in Cincinnati was a pretty good job, and semifinal of a Grand Slam in US Open," Carlos Alcaraz said.

"I don't take that as a failure. Probably everybody, well, knows that I have to win every title or every tournament. I think that's a mistake. For me, as I said, I've been struggling the last few months. Probably the Asian swing, Shanghai, probably those tournaments were not a good tournament for me. That's a shame for me, to end the year in that way," he added.