Sept 27 (Reuters) - Carlos Alcaraz is relishing his "beautiful battle" with Novak Djokovic for the year-end world number one ranking, with the 20-year-old Spaniard saying on Wednesday it will give him extra motivation heading into the China Open.
Ahead of his return to action in Beijing this week, world number two Alcaraz said he would be thinking about the top spot every time he trains and plays in a bid to close the gap on Djokovic.
"We have a really beautiful battle to be world number one, especially after the great performance Novak had in America," Alcaraz told reporters, referring to Djokovic's triumphs in Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows.
"Right now he's number one, so I come here with extra motivation to try to get him back and place first in the race.
Alcaraz is joined in a strong Beijing field by several big names including world number three Daniil Medvedev, who beat him in the U.S. Open semi-finals.
Persons:
Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz, Novak, It's, Daniil Medvedev, Yannick Hanfmann, Shrivathsa Sridhar, Christian Radnedge
Organizations:
China, Wimbledon, U.S, German, Thomson
Locations:
Beijing, America, Cincinnati, Flushing Meadows, Bengaluru