Carlos Alcaraz fires confident warning to rivals ahead of Tokyo debut

Wednesday, 24 September 2025 at 10:31

byErik Virostko

Carlos Alcaraz seems to be ready to start his Asian swing, as he appeared very confident ahead of the 2025 Japan Open in Tokyo.

Alcaraz will play his first tournament in Asia this year in Tokyo. It's an ATP 500 event, and as the world No. 1 player on the ATP Tour, he is obviously the top seed. But there are no byes in Tokyo, so he will have to start already in the first round, taking on Sebastian Baez.

Naturally, the 22-year-old Spaniard is the biggest favorite to win the title in Tokyo, but the competition will be strong. Taylor Fritz, who beat Alcaraz at the Laver Cup, is the second seed at the event, and the two can meet in the final.

However, Alcaraz appears very confident ahead of the tournament. He spoke to the ATP Media, and when asked about possibly winning the trophy in Tokyo, the young Spaniard seemed very confident in being able to lift the title in the Japanese capital.

"It's going to be great. I'm looking forward to doing it, lifting the trophy here in Tokyo. It's the first time I will play here, so it would be great if I could win the title. I will try to do it, I will work hard to be able to do it. And putting my name next to the legends who won this tournament before, so it's going to be an interesting week."

If Alcaraz beats Baez in the first round, his next opponent will be the winner of the match between Zizou Bergs and Alejando Tabillo, who won the title in Chengdu after beating Lorenzo Musetti in the final.

Alcaraz explains why he chose to avoid meeting Sinner again in Beijing

Unlike last year, Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will begin their Asian swing at different events. They both played at the China Open in Beijing last year and even met in an epic final. While Sinner will compete in Beijing again, Alcaraz decided to play in Tokyo instead.

However, as the Spaniard explained during his interview ahead of the ATP 500 event, his decision has nothing to do with Sinner, quite the opposite. He loves playing against the Italian. The reason he chose to go to Tokyo was that he wanted to experience a different city and meet new fans.

"It's not a relief to be honest. I love playing against him. I think every time that we play against each other, he helps me to be better and to increase my level, which I love that."

"But I wanted to play in a different place, in a different stadium, in which I have never played. So, for me, that's a reason why I decided to make a change. But, it's great playing with other players as well and mix the tournaments a little bit."