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Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest World No. 1 after winning his Grand Slam in New York earlier this month. But tennis commentator Gil Gross was hesitant to pick him as his outright favorite for the 2023 Australian Open.
Gross gave his reasons behind not picking Alcaraz as the favorite to win in Melbourne and was also uncertain about picking the Spaniard over Novak Djokovic.
He mentioned that the new World No.1 still has to improve a lot in many areas to win back-to-back majors.
"It's like a yes, but for me, it seems like a tough task at the stage he's at in his career to win back-to-back majors. It feels historically improbable even for him," said Gross.
Gil revealed that Alcaraz has to improve his match management and mental strength.
"Most of the matches he's lost have not been because he's been outclassed from a technical standpoint. He's just shrunk under pressure and played below his level when he's needed it," said Gross about Carlos Alcaraz.
He added,
"He literally hasn't lost a match in straight sets. In almost every match he's lost, you can point to a really bad break point conversion statistic. Mentally, he hasn't become yet a great match manager. If he brings his best in Australia when it counts against the best players, it's up to him. But are there questions about how difficult it might be for him mentally to do that? I think so."
"Finishing the year as No. 1 in the world would also be nice" - Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz revealed that he wants to stay at the top of the rankings and finish the year as the top-ranked player.
"Finishing the year as No. 1 in the world would also be nice; once I've gotten this far, the intention is to work to stay up there for as long as possible."
The tennis star continued,
“Now I still have a few tournaments until the end of the season, but it is clear that one of my great goals is to win the ATP Finals and also the Davis Cup."
The teenager has a chance to finish World No. 1 at the end of the year this season. He has only 280 points to defend and can gain a lot more points to solidify his position at the top.
