After the highs of winning the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships titles, it looks like things aren’t going the way of Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard suffered early exits at the tournaments and has had an inconsistent run over the past few months. Nonetheless, the ATP Finals provided a redemption chance for the young Spaniard but he hasn’t got the start that he would’ve liked. As a result, Alcaraz was left visibly shaken after his first match in Turin.

The young Spaniard was up against Casper Ruud in his opening encounter in Turin. However, he suffered a shock loss against the sixth seed, which has put his semifinal hopes in jeopardy. Subsequently, Alcaraz looked visibly distressed and hid his emotions under his towel. The picture of Alcaraz covering his face with his towel after the match went viral on social media.

Ahead of the ATP Finals, Alcaraz even received a major health scare as he was spotted wearing unusual gear. The Spaniard has been suffering from a blocked nose and he has been attempting to improve his breathing with the fuchsia nasal strip during the training session. As a result, Alcaraz could also potentially be hiding his health struggles with a towel on his face after a grim loss against Ruud.

Further, Alcaraz looked in discomfort right throughout the match. He committed as many as 34 unforced errors in his straight-set loss against Ruud. Aiming to finish his season on a high, Alcaraz faces a monumental task ahead as he has to win both his matches against Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev to stay in contention for a semifinal spot.

Nonetheless, ahead of the tournament, Alcaraz was confident about a good show in Turin. Reflecting on his form, the Spaniard knows what he needs to do to find success at the ATP Finals.

Carlos Alcaraz on his strategy at the ATP Finals

Despite winning the China Open last month, Alcaraz hasn’t looked at his usual best on the court. One of the reasons could be the fatigue of a long and tiring season. However, he has been in this position before and knows what it takes to win the year-ending championships. During an interview, he revealed approaching the tournament with a new strategy.

Alcaraz said, “Last year was a difficult end of the year for me. I could not play at my best. The last two matches here were pretty good matches for me, but the previous two, three tournaments I didn’t play at my best, so I realized I had to change a little bit at this time of the year, which I did this year. I come here a little bit different. I approach this tournament a little differently, knowing there are things I have to change if I am to have a good result here and go far.”

However, with the untimely health setback, Alcaraz faces a race against time to get back to his best. Can the Spaniard overcome his early defeat and win the ATP Finals title? Let us know your views in the comments below.