Nov 14 (Reuters) - When Carlos Alcaraz beat Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon in July it seemed the Spaniard's stratospheric career trajectory was limitless and he would take a stranglehold on men's tennis.
A few months later, however, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic has re-asserted his authority and Alcaraz is experiencing the first slump of his career.
The 20-year-old bemoaned the fast playing conditions in Turin after a surprise loss to Germany's Alexander Zverev in his opening match at the ATP Finals on Monday.
Daniil Medvedev, whose defeat of Alcaraz in the U.S. Open semi-final exposed some cracks in the Spaniard's game, says that a dip was to be expected at some point.
Alcaraz will face Rublev in Red Group on Wednesday when defeat could end his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
Persons:
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Djokovic, Germany's Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Carlos, Novak, Pete Sampras, Alex Corretja, Carlitos, Martyn Herman, Pritha Sarkar
Organizations:
Wimbledon, ATP, U.S, Red Group, Eurosport, Thomson
Locations:
Turin, Alcaraz, Russian