Carlos Alcaraz Garfia

[Tuco]

Alcaraz hat nach der Niederlage im HF von IW das jetzt trotzdem als bestes Ergebnis bei einem großen Hartplatzturnier in den letzten 12 Monaten zu verbuchen, ansonsten gab es keine einzige Halbfinalteilnahme. Da kann man schon mal fragen, geht er wirklich als Favorit ins Turnier von Miami? Mangels Alternative wahrscheinlich schon, aber mehr auch nicht - daran ändert auch die Abwesenheit von Sinner nichts, keine dieser Niederlagen war gegen Sinner (Dimitrov, Monfils, van de Zandschulp, Machac, Humbert, Ruud, Zverev, Djokovic, Draper), Alcaraz ist eben regelmäßig ausgeschieden, bevor er auf Sinner getroffen wäre.

Wenn der Spanier eine echte Konkurrenz für die #1 werden will muss er auf Hartplatz wieder bessere Ergebnisse holen, sonst wird das diese Saison trotz der kurzen Sperre für Sinner wohl wieder nichts werden.

 

[gentleman]

Passend zur Debatte um Alcaraz auch im Miami-Thread hat Gill Gross in seinem jüngsten Podcast eine mMn recht zutreffende Analyse zur Situation gemacht. Überschrift: No need to panic, aber es gebe schon einige Baustellen für ihn und sein Team...

Big picture? No need to panic. Carlos won 2 Slams last year and went 3-0 vs. Sinner. That’s why 2025 started with optimism. But so far it’s been rough, coming up empty in the Sunshine Double, a disappointing AO loss (not that he lost, but how), and inconsistency in big moments.

Are there problems? Yes. Gill points out that some issues are persisting - stagnation in some areas, even regression in others. The big question: How can he become more consistent and avoid early losses to lower-ranked players?

The mental game needs work. Gill highlights a pattern: after tough losses, it takes Alcaraz weeks to recover. He gets stuck in negativity too quickly - when confidence dips, instead of problem-solving, he just hits harder and harder. That approach isn’t working. Against great pace redirectors like Goffin, just hitting bigger won’t work. Alcaraz needs better on-court adjustments when things aren’t going his way.

The serve is a problem. His spot serving isn’t reliable, and everyone knows it. Opponents are aggressively attacking his serve because they’d rather take risks there than let him dictate rallies.

Players are exposing his return struggles. Lehecka, Goffin, Draper, Djokovic - all have attacked his return with success. Carlos hasn’t found a consistent answer for it.

Opponents are abusing the wide serve. Goffin won 14 of 16 points (?) with his slice serve out wide on the deuce side. Players keep going to that spot because Alcaraz hasn’t adjusted. He’s not chipping, positioning differently, or finding ways to counter it.

"Lockdown mode" is missing. Gill believes the world’s fastest player should have a gear for pure discipline - no errors, just control. But in tough moments, he often forces high-risk shots instead of settling into a rhythm.

His touch was way off. The drop shots, volleys - none of it was clicking. When that happens, the logical move would be to simplify and play with more structure, but that adjustment never came.

Snowball effect. Gill notes that when things start going south for Alcaraz, they tend to really spiral. There’s no reset button - just frustration, anxiety, and a desperate attempt to hit through problems instead of problem-solving.

How well does he handle pressure? This is a big question. He’s played huge matches well, but is that because he managed pressure effectively or because he just didn’t feel it? A lot of young players thrive in their early breakthrough moments because they feel no expectations.

Alcaraz has rarely been the overwhelming favorite. Even in his Slam wins: US Open 2022 - no pressure, no expectations. Roland Garros 2024 - arm issues, inconsistent form. Wimbledon 2023 - grass was still new for him. Now, that changes. He will be expected to win. How he handles that mentally is key.

The Djokovic-Alcaraz pattern. Look at their rivalry: the underdog has dominated. Almost every time they’ve faced off, the player who came in with less expectation has won. That’s a trend worth noting.