Making his debut at the ATP 500 Tokyo tournament, world No.1 Alcaraz must be cautious to avoid an upset.

Following the end of the 2025 US Open, the ATP 500 tournaments in Tokyo and Beijing began yesterday and today. World No.1, the versatile Spanish player Alcaraz, and world No.2, Italy’s rising star Sinner, are no longer competing together at the Beijing China Open as last year; instead, they lead the fields in Tokyo and Beijing respectively, using these events as preparation for the likely Alcaraz-Sinner showdown at the Shanghai Masters early next month, treating the tournaments as training grounds.

In the 2025 US Open final, Alcaraz decisively defeated Sinner, who had held the world No.1 ranking for 65 consecutive weeks since June 10, 2024, in four sets. This victory marked Alcaraz’s second US Open title after 2022 and his sixth Grand Slam overall, propelling him back to the top of the world rankings. Fans, media, and tennis legends praised Alcaraz enthusiastically and continuously.

American tennis legend John McEnroe highly praised Alcaraz: “Alcaraz is the most naturally gifted player I’ve ever seen on the court, even more talented than the great Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic, whom I deeply respect. Alcaraz has a complete skill set, a professional attitude, and an exceptional ability to learn. He is almost unstoppable on court. He doesn’t rely solely on talent; he shows remarkable technical evolution by constantly learning and improving to maintain and enhance his competitiveness.”

German tennis great and former coach who helped Djokovic achieve extraordinary success, Becker, said: “Alcaraz is stronger and more agile than Sinner. He actively varies the pace, excels at serve-and-volley, and can handle backhand slices with ease. Alcaraz combines net tactics, baseline rallies, and adaptive creativity — a technical mix we haven’t seen in the last 20 years. What he is doing is redefining how tennis is played.”

Renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who guided the American “Black Pearl” Serena Williams to great achievements, commented on Alcaraz: “He’s the most unpredictable hitter I’ve ever seen. He can apply pressure at the net, attack from the baseline, and even use forehand slices to confuse opponents. To disrupt their rhythm, he uses every possible shot. Alcaraz plays similarly to Federer but at a higher level. They share the same style, with a stunning forehand, attacking from the backhand side, and a very comprehensive skill set. They use all their weapons, including drop shots, occasional backhand volleys, and frequent net approaches. They try to control matches by anticipating shot timing and seizing every opportunity to come forward.”

Spanish legend Nadal, in an interview with The New York Times, praised his compatriot: “Alcaraz has a complete tactical and technical game with a diverse range of shots. There’s a kind of magic in him that’s hard to replicate — he can produce shots that almost feel magical.”

However, despite the high reputation of world No.1 Alcaraz, his recent performance was surprisingly disappointing! Last week at the Laver Cup exhibition held at the Chase Center, home of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors in San Francisco, Alcaraz underperformed, causing his European team to lose 9-15 to the World team and miss out on the title. Having led his team to victory last year, Alcaraz is expected to take responsibility for this result.

On the second day of the Laver Cup, Alcaraz faced American father and undefeated player Fritz but was off his game, failing to create a single break point and losing three of his own service games, suffering a heavy defeat 3-6, 2-6.

It’s worth noting that during the 2025 US Open, Alcaraz lost only three service games across seven rounds, and those were against three different opponents (Darderi, Djokovic, and Sinner). Yet in his first match after winning the US Open and reclaiming the No.1 ranking, he was broken three times by Fritz, who had no prior wins against him, resulting in a crushing loss.

After losing in four sets to Alcaraz in this year’s Wimbledon semifinal, Fritz expressed deep frustration: “I’d rather face world No.1 Sinner than Alcaraz because he’s so unpredictable and hard to handle. Alcaraz can play many styles and uses various tactics to score. I’m especially impressed by his net play — even in crucial points, he dares to execute delicate shots and almost never misses. To perform such precise control under immense pressure is truly amazing.”

Yet, it was precisely Fritz, who previously dreaded facing Alcaraz, who dealt the world No.1 a severe blow in their first match after Alcaraz’s US Open triumph and return to No.1, beating him convincingly in straight sets. Fritz proudly declared that the technically versatile, magically skilled Alcaraz is not invincible, as he also has weaknesses and fluctuates in form.

Yesterday, the ATP 500 Tokyo tournament began. Making his first appearance at this event, world No.1 Alcaraz doesn’t need to prove anything to the world but must be wary of a potential upset. He should adjust his mindset and use this tournament as preparation and practice for the Shanghai Masters starting early next month.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Qicai Doufen)