Less than a month after exiting the ATP Finals Carlos Alcaraz will be back in action on the tennis court.
The Spaniard’s hectic 2024 season came to an end when he exited the season-ending championships at the round robin stage before losing in the Davis Cup quarter-finals with Spain.
The 21-year-old concluded the year during which he won the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back and claimed the Olympic solver medal.
Alcaraz has taken some time off but it is already time for him to prepare to step on court once again, even if they are for exhibition matches.
Where is Carlos Alcaraz playing next?
The month of December will see Carlos Alcaraz step back onto the court for the first time since the Davis Cup finals November 19 where Rafael Nadal retired from tennis.
He is set to take on Ben Shelton at The Garden Cup on December 4, which will emanate from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Also featuring at that event will be US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula, who will play one of the semi-finalists at Flushing Meadows this year, Emma Navarro.
Just two days later, Alcaraz will be in action at another exhibition event called The Charlotte Invitational, where he will play another American in Francis Tiafoe.
In another contest Madison Keys will face 2017 US Open winner Sloane Stephens. Both events will take place at the Spectrum Center, home of the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets.
What are Carlos Alcaraz’s head-to-head records against Ben Shelton and Francis Tiafoe?
Alcaraz will take on Shelton and Tiafoe in exhibition events in December, and he has a healthy record against them on the ATP Tour.
The Spaniard has played two matches against the World number 21, and emerged victorious on both occasions.
Alcaraz won 6-3, 7-6(3) when they met at the Canadian Masters in 2023, before claiming a 6-4, 6-4 victory at the 2024 Laver Cup.
The World number three has played against Tiafoe on three occasions, and has won twice. The 26-year-old won their first encounter in 2021, before Alcaraz claimed their next two encounters, both in five sets.
He won their 2022 US Open semi-final 6-7(6) 6-3 6-1 6-7(5) 6-3, before Alcaraz emerged victorious 5-7 6-2 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 at Wimbledon in July.
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