Carlos Alcaraz Aims for World Number One Amidst Cincinnati Open Excitement

Carlos Alcaraz, following Grand Slam victories and an Olympic silver, targets becoming world number one. At the Cincinnati Open, crucial for his year-end ranking aspirations, he trails Jannik Sinner by 450 points. Focused on consistent performance, Alcaraz begins his campaign against Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin.

Following consecutive Grand Slam triumphs and clinching a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, world number three Carlos Alcaraz has set his sights on ending the season as the top-ranked player in the world. The 21-year-old French Open and Wimbledon champion, who narrowly lost an exhilarating Olympic final to Novak Djokovic, is back in action at this week's Cincinnati Open. Here, Alcaraz hopes to close the gap with Djokovic and current leader Jannik Sinner in the ATP live race to the season finale in Turin.

Alcaraz currently trails Sinner by 450 points in the year-to-date standings, a key metric in the battle for the year-end number one spot. 'Clearly, being number one is always a goal for me, and the race is an important ranking,' Alcaraz stated. 'Finishing the year as number one is one of my main objectives,' he added. The young star will kick-off his campaign against either Gael Monfils or Alexei Popyrin, marking his return to hardcourt tennis since the Miami quarter-finals in March.

The Cincinnati Open serves as a critical preparatory event for the upcoming U.S. Open, scheduled from Aug. 26 to Sept. 8. 'I'm excited to play here again, with great memories from last year's close final against Djokovic,' remarked Alcaraz. Notably, Djokovic will not be participating in Cincinnati following his Olympic success.

(With inputs from agencies.)