Alcaraz: This year s Paris Masters will be very different

After being forced to withdraw from the Shanghai Masters and taking more than three weeks off to recover from a left ankle injury, Alcaraz arrived in Paris in a relaxed mood. The world's number one tennis player said that he is in better shape than ever at the end of the season.

"Obviously I don't want to withdraw from Shanghai, " Alcaraz said at a press conference before the Paris Masters, October 25. "But I need to heal my body. So I chose to return home, recover from my ankle injury, try to be in good shape for this period of the year. Last year, two years ago, I did not go to the Paris Masters in a fit state. So now I pay more attention to maintaining my fitness, training and coming here with the mindset that I can achieve good results. "

Alcaraz has a modest record, with 5 wins - 4 losses at the Paris Masters, with his best result being the quarter-finals in 2022, when he lost to eventual champion Holger Rune. Although the indoor court has traditionally been a challenge for Alcaraz, the 22-year-old had a breakthrough earlier this year when he won his first indoor court title in Rotterdam.

This week, players noticed the court speed at the new location La Defense Arena was slower, and Alcaraz welcomed the change. "This year is completely different from last year. I like it, " Alcaraz said about the tournament starting tomorrow, October 27. "The speed of the court is much slower than last year, but I think it's a very reasonable speed for viewers to see real tennis. Not just the serve and the next shot, you can see the struggles, the scores, you can see the tennis there ".

Alcaraz will play in the second round, meeting Cameron Norrie or Sebastian Baez. The Spanish player can then face Jiri Lehecka, who defeated him at the 2025 Qatar Open and is also in good form. Alcaraz's branch also includes Valentin Vacherot or Arthur Rinderknech, two players who reached the final of the Shanghai Masters in mid-month..

In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz could face Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime, then Taylor Fritz or Alex de Minaur in the semifinals. "The Paris Masters has never been a tournament where I had good results, but I really enjoyed competing here, " he said. "I'm not really used to playing indoors, but each year I find myself getting used to it. Hopefully I will go further than in previous years ".

Alcaraz soon won a ticket to the Nitto ATP Finals, and is aiming to consolidate his position to become the world's number 1 player at the end of the year for the second time. He is currently more than 2,000 points ahead of rival Jannik Sinner on the ATP Live Race To Turin table. Alcaraz and Sinner have met in the final in the last five tournaments they have both participated in.

Regarding his indoor performance, Alcaraz remains realistic but optimistic. "I wouldn't say I played badly indoors. I think it's just that there are other players who are better than me in these conditions, " he added. "I feel like I train well and can play very good tennis. But obviously there are matches where I play much better opponents indoors. I have to be ready for that ".