Carlos Alcaraz will be desperate to win the Paris Masters this year for a plethora of reasons.
After all, he will be the event’s second seed, and with Jannik Sinner having ended his season, what would have been the overwhelming favourite is no longer playing.
This leaves just a handful of names capable of challenging him, although this part of the season has historically provided more shocks for the Spaniard than others.
Just last week, his defeat at the hands of Zizou Bergs stunned the tennis world. Last year, Cam Norrie was a shock victor over Carlos Alcaraz in Paris. It can happen to the seven-time major champion.
However, if he ever needed more incentive to win this final Masters 1000 event of the season, it’s the little slice of history that is on the line which should give him that boost.
Carlos Alcaraz is chasing history with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
After his defeat at the Shanghai Masters, there is just one Masters 1000 tournament left of the season.
Having only managed to feature at Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo before his injury, this represents just the fifth appearance Alcaraz has managed this season.
But, it is his last opportunity to ensure that he does not go trophyless at this level during 2026, having actually won at least one Masters 1000 event every year for four straight seasons now.
If he were to fail in Paris, that counter would reset in 2027, which would be particularly heartbreaking given he is so close to becoming the only other male player alongside Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal to have done so across five years.
The Serbian has actually had two separate spells of six years, with Nadal’s ten-year stint between 2005 and 2014 holding the record by some distance.
Alcaraz currently sits on four with the likes of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Andy Murray and Roger Federer.
Interestingly, so does Sinner, with 2026 marking his fourth consecutive year.
He will therefore have a chance to join this exclusive list next year, and overtake Alcaraz should he fail to win the Paris Masters.
The 23-year-old has never won this event before, with a run to the quarter-finals marking his best-ever in 2022.