Carlos Alcaraz's plan after the Wimbledon defeat: a break, acclimatization after winning the US Open and becoming No. 1 in Sinner

The magnificent streak of 24 consecutive victories ended at Wimbledon. NowCarlos Alcaraz knows it's time to stop, rest his body, and reset his mind. Only then will he begin his plan: a thorough acclimatization to the North American hard courts , already supported by Jannik Sinner's US Open win and his No. 1 ranking.

Evolving through trial and error. Carlitos' team is increasingly familiar with their pupil's needs and knows that, to perform at his best, he needs "licenses," as many as necessary to avoid repeating last season's disastrous American invasion.

"Now I'm going to have a few days off. It's been a very demanding season , especially the last few months. I've had very few days off, apart from the ones I spent in Ibiza, which everyone knows about," said Carlitos in a press conference after the defeat in the Wimbledon final.

"We're going to listen to my body. I don't have any physical discomfort at the moment, but playing games like this, week after week, is very tiring. We'll have to see how I develop and how we approach the American tour ," added a player who will have to plan his next steps in great detail.

A gentle jog of memory helps us recall what happened last year. After winning titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and losing to Djokovic in the final of the Paris Games, he withdrew from the Canadian Masters 1000 and returned to the fray at the same level in Cincinnati, suffering a devastating first-round defeat to Monfils , ultimately smashing his racket in despair . His performance at the US Open was no better, as he was the surprise of the tournament, falling in the second round to Van de Zandschlup.

It was a tortuous month, a month that took up a large part of his documentary series ( Carlos Alcaraz: A Mi Manera ) due to the way his unbridled anxiety was portrayed. Fortunately, tennis always gives him another chance, and it's precisely that poor run that gives him the advantage this year.

He's only defending 60 points in the next three tournaments, so it's very unlikely he won't gain a significant margin. Meanwhile, Sinner, his great rival, has won virtually everything there is to win and is defending a whopping 3,200 points . It's time to strike the final blow.

Carlos will have to decide whether or not to play in the Canadian Masters 1000 (July 27-August 7), which he already withdrew from last year due to fatigue and where he won't be defending anything. He's still weighing that decision, but what's practically certain is that he'll be at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 (August 7-18), the last opportunity to acclimatize to hard courts before the US Open arrives, in a tournament where he'll only be defending 10 points.

Then comes the US Open (August 24-September 7), the big event where the Spaniard won a major for the first time and became the youngest world number 1 in history (2022). It's at Flushing Meadows where Carlitos could tie Sinner's 2025 Grand Slam tally (a hypothetical 2-2 like last year's), or where the Italian could catch up with his great rival in terms of total titles (a hypothetical 5-5).

Furthermore, Sinner knows that if anyone is capable of pulling off a major feat to dethrone him as the ATP leader, it's Carlos Alcaraz. If the Murcia native wins all three tournaments, he would earn 4,000 points , far surpassing the Italian's current lead of 3,430 points .

The plan is clear, and Alcaraz is shaping it now while on vacation. This is the year to make a statement and shine like never before in the most difficult stretch of the season for the Spaniard after his consistently triumphant run on the European clay-court tour. On Monday, September 8, we'll find out if the El Palmar native has a sixth title in his trophy cabinet and if he'll return to the lost lathe.