Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff visit the Forbidden City before Beijing | ATP Tour
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Alcaraz, Gauff visit the Forbidden City before Beijing
The Spaniard previews the ATP 500 event
September 25, 2024
The China Open
Carlos Alcaraz visited the Forbidden City on Wednesday.
Written by Sam Jacot
Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping to back up his Laver Cup championship this week when he competes at the China Open in Beijing. However, before the serious business begins on the court, the No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings took some time to explore the Chinese capital with WTA star Coco Gauff.
Spaniards and Americans were all smiles as they toured the Forbidden City in traditional attire on Wednesday.
“It was great to be there,” Alcaraz said in the pre-tournament press conference. “I couldn’t travel much last year. For me, it’s fun to see the culture here in China, I see different things. Being there [in the Forbidden City] it was a good thing for me. I am very happy to be back here in Beijing.”
On the court, Alcaraz hopes that his performance in the Laver Cup can help him in his quest for glory during the Asian tournament. The 21-year-old, who earned victories against Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz to help guide Team Europe to victory at Team World in Berlin, is the second seed at the ATP 500 event in Beijing.
“We all went to the Laver Cup to try to win, to help the European Team as much as we can to bring back the cup,” said Alcaraz. “Two years ago, Team World held the Laver Cup. For me, it was a great achievement to help Team Europe bring the trophy back to Europe.
“It was a very good tournament, a good experience for me to be together with players I used to fight against each other all year. Having that energy from them while I was playing was an amazing experience for me. I played some good and big games there in the Laver Cup, which helped me a lot to have a lot of confidence coming here to this tournament.
“It’s very good for my confidence and my level to come here with more energy knowing that I’m ready to make a good result here, and knowing that I have a really difficult draw.”
Alcaraz has won 15 tour-level titles in his illustrious career but struggled to find his best at the end of the season in 2022 and 2023. The Spaniard competed in just three events after winning the US Open in 2022, missing out on the Nitto ATP. Final due to injury. Last year, he held a 7-5 record from October to November, with his best showing in the finals at the Nitto ATP Finals in Beijing.
Having already qualified for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz will be hoping to improve on his season-ending record, starting in Beijing, where he plays French favorite Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. He will face Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals and will take a 5-2 Lexus ATP Head2Head series lead in that tournament when they meet.
