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Carlos Alcaraz confessed that his ongoing battle with Novak Djokovic was always on his mind. The Spaniard is hoping to beat out his rival to the No 1 ranking and said he thought about overtaking Djokovic every time he trains and is at a tournament. Alcaraz can make some headway in his quest to surpass the Serb during this week\u2019s China Open, with 500 ranking points up for grabs.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz is the top seed in Beijing with Djokovic taking a break for the next month. The 20-year-old is well aware that his rival\u2019s hiatus can help him close down the gap in the race to be world No 1 before the end of the season and is trying to do just that during the upcoming Asian swing.<\/p>\n
And the two-time Grand Slam champion was more than happy to discuss his battle against Djokovic for the top spot, admitting that it was on his mind whenever he was practising or competing. \u201cOf course it is a goal,\u201d Alcaraz said ahead of his debut at the China Open<\/p>\n
\u201cAs I have said a few times, we have a really beautiful battle to be No 1 in the world, especially after the great performance that Novak had on the last American tour.\u201d With Djokovic winning the US Open and returning to the top of the rankings, Alcaraz said he was even more motivated.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Murray has shot at redemption at China Open after three-month wait for revenge[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n He continued: \u201cRight now he is No 1, so I come here with extra motivation to try to get him back and place first in the race, as well as in the rankings. Like I said, it’s something that I keep in mind every time I’m training, I think about it in every tournament.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is not mandatory for me to recover it either, but we have to set goals for the year. For me, the No 1 position is one of my main objectives, so in these big tournaments I am going to go for it, to try to do well to be close and recover it.\u201d<\/p>\n Alcaraz is making his debut at the China Open and will do the same at the upcoming Shanghai Masters as the ATP Tour resumes its regular Asian swing for the first time since 2019. Depending on his results across both tournaments, the Spaniard can earn up to 1,500 ranking points.<\/p>\n We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/4980540.jpg?r=1695802086549\")
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