Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal would shut it down after US Open: Carlos Alcaraz's slump no cause for panic, feels tennis journalist

Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim has attributed Carlos Alcaraz's recent slump to the inability of players to sustain their level after the US Open while stressing that there was no cause for panic.

Wertheim pointed out that Serena Williams, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal too "shut it down" after the US Open given that there were no Grand Slams left to play during October and November.

Over the course of a Match Point Canada podcast, the renowned tennis journalist opined that numerous commitments over the course of a demanding season take their toll on players.

"Remember Serena Williams, to some extent Federer and Nadal, they would essentially just shut it down. I'm out after the US Open. I'm not made to play September, October, November tennis.

"I think we are getting a little bit of that and I just would not panic too much if I were an Alcaraz fan, I wouldn't panic too much if I were in his camp."

Carlos Alcaraz lost to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals of the US Open before going down to Jannik Sinner in the China Open semifinals.

While mentioning the Spaniard's shock defeat to Grigor Dimitrov in the third round of the Shanghai Masters, Wertheim pointed out that commitments from sponsors and the chase for ranking points caused players to "hit a wall." He added:

"Losing to Medvedev on the night he didn't quite have it at the US Open, that's one thing. Losing to Dimitrov is something else. I think some of this is just a function, honestly. The same thing people say, what's going on with Holger Rune and I think for some of these players they just hit a wall".

"It's a lot of tennis, their commitments to play, their commitments from sponsors, there are still ranking points, there is still a chase for No. 1. I think there is a finite number of tennis that we can expect from these athletes."

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Battle for year-end World No. 1 slot between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic set to keep fans on their toes

Carlos Alcaraz in action at the Shanghai Masters

While there may be no Grand Slams left to play, the nascent yet intense rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz and their battle for the ATP No. 1 spot continues to keep tennis fans engaged.

Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest-ever player to occupy the top slot in men's tennis after reigning supreme at the 2022 US Open.

Alcaraz's maiden Grand Slam win was achieved in the absence of the Serb, who was not permitted to enter the United States owing to his vaccination status last year. The duo then locked horns for the World No. 1 ranking at Wimbledon earlier this year.

After taking over the coveted spot from Djokovic ahead of Wimbledon, Alcaraz ensured he ended the tournament at the helm after beating the Serb in a dramatic Wimbledon final.

With Novak Djokovic now perched atop the ATP rankings yet again, Alcaraz has quite a task on his hands if he is to end the season as the ATP World No. 1 The loss to Grigor Dimitrov at Shanghai did not help the cause of the 20-year-old who will be seen in action at the Swiss Indoors in Basel.

A fascinating duel will then follow with both Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz slated to play in the Paris Masters and the year-end ATP Finals in Turin. Djokovic currently has 11,045 ranking points while Alcaraz trails the 24-time Grand Slam champion with 8,805 points in his kitty.