Carlos Alcaraz will return to the Vienna Open for the first time in five years next week, in a bid to regain his full fitness and increase his indoor preparation.
Historically, the Spaniard has struggled at this latter stage of the season, with the Shanghai and Paris Masters having both eluded him thus far in his career.
He will hope to right those wrongs in the French capital next month, and a strong showing in the Austrian capital will certainly help his cause.
However, if he is to enjoy a deep run, it will be an almighty task.
After all, Carlos Alcaraz’s draw for the Vienna Open has now been revealed, and it’s not been kind.
Carlos Alcaraz’s nightmare draw as he returns to the Vienna Open
Alcaraz will begin his campaign with potentially the toughest possible task, set to face this year’s US Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov in the very first round.
His 6-0 head-to-head record should not deflect from what is a really difficult opening match.
If he beats Khachanov, Alcaraz will then have to face the winner of Jurij Rodionov and Nikoloz Basilashvili, who has enjoyed a stellar run in Almaty this week.
Beyond that, Andrey Rublev or Tommy Paul are expected to battle for a quarter-final place, with Daniil Medvedev his likely semi-final opponent.
Then, Alexander Zverev should await him in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz’s bad luck at the Vienna Open continues
This is not the first time that the 23-year-old has been dealt a nightmare draw in Austria, given what happened the last time Alcaraz played in Vienna.
There, he was forced to battle through a gauntlet of superstars, eventually falling in the semi-finals.
He began with a solid win over Dan Evans, before then beating his fellow Brit Andy Murray in the Round of 16.
Matteo Berrettini, who had reached the Wimbledon final earlier that year, marked a stern quarter-final opponent, overcoming the Italian in a third-set tiebreak.
In the end, it was Zverev who halted his run in the semi-finals.