'No. 1 is the goal.' The future is now for superstar Carlos Alcaraz at Cincinnati Open

MASON, Ohio − To some, the Grizzly Golf and Social Lodge Clubhouse might seem like a step down from media day roundtables at high-profile tournaments like Wimbledon and the Olympics.

Don't tell that to World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz.

"It's a Masters 1000 (tournament)," Alcaraz said during Media Day Sunday.

Fighting off injury, Alcaraz has enjoyed a stellar summer that included two Grand Slams (Wimbledon, French Open) in addition to an ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells and a silver medal in Paris.

The 21-year-old phenom is his toughest critic, though.

"I always want to be better. I like to find the bad things I did in matches," said Alcaraz, who admitted he would've gotten a gold medal tattoo had he won it all in Paris.

That fire to improve is why Alcaraz is approaching this week's Cincinnati Open the same way as every other tournament.

Last summer, Alcaraz continued his fierce rivalry with Novak Djokovic in one of the greatest matches ever. The two dueled in the longest match in Cincinnati Open history with Alcaraz fighting back from a pair of match points before Djokovic finally finished the job in just under four hours.

"I have great memories from last year, making the final and losing very tight in an epic match," Alcaraz said. "I'm happy to be back."

'No. 1 is the goal' for Carlos Alcaraz

One year ago, Alcaraz came to Mason as the No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings. Since Sept. 2022, Alcaraz has spent 36 weeks atop the leaderboard but hasn't been to the summit since Sept. 10, 2023. Djokovic held the honor until this June, when new No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy took over.

"Being No. 1 is the goal every time. The race is an important ranking," Alcaraz said. "At the end of this year, you want to be the No. 1. I'm really focused on going to every tournament thinking about playing great tennis and doing everything to get better in the race."

Alcaraz is No. 3 in the ATP Rankings ahead of the Cincinnati Open, which goes full throttle into the main draw on Tuesday morning. With Djokovic withdrawing from the event last week, Alcaraz needs a run to the quarterfinals this week to occupy the No. 2 slot ahead of the U.S. Open in New York.

A possible rematch with Sinner is on the table if the two can advance to the Cincinnati Open finals on Monday, Aug. 19. Alcaraz is 5-4 all-time against the new No. 1, winning both meetings this year in the semifinals at Roland Garros and Indian Wells.

Alcaraz part of a new 'Big 3' in tennis?

Cincinnati tennis fans were accustomed to seeing part of the Big Three in tennis: Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic's absence this week means no piece of the mighty trio that has dominated tennis for two decades will be in Cincinnati for just the second time since 2001. Just as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic began to take center stage when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi started to win down, Alcaraz, along with Sinner, is part of the tennis' latest facelift.

Alcaraz has the mindset to be a mainstay atop the ATP leaderboards for years to come, but you won't convince him to stop and smell the roses that bloom with the future.

In the Olympics, he teamed up with Nadal as part of a historic Spainard tandem. Nadal offered the rising youngster lessons for on and off the court, from handling stressful situations to seizing the moment every time you pick up a racket.

"Nadal won the gold medal in 2008 and couldn't reach the (Olympic) final again," Alcaraz said. "Nobody knows what's gonna happen in the future."

More: Cincinnati Open: Here's who advanced in qualifying rounds; Monday's schedule

Alcaraz was hard on himself after losing to Djokovic in Paris. He's analyzed what went wrong and how to repair it when he takes the court in Mason, looking to climb the leaderboard during the hard-court swing of the tour to get in position to be the year-end No. 1.

"In my mind, this is a very important tournament for me and I'm gonna try to play great tennis."

Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, will play either Alexei Popyrin or Gael Monfils in the Round of 32 later this week.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: ATP Cincinnati: Carlos Alcaraz has sights set on Rookwood Cup, No. 1