Carlos Alcaraz Makes Another Surprising Change To His 2025 ATP Schedule
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Carlos Alcaraz will play at a new tournament later in the 2025 season, which means the Spaniard has decided not to defend one of his ATP titles from last year.
Alcaraz competed at the China Open in Beijing in September and October. After winning four matches to reach the final, he and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner contested one of the best matches of 2024.
The four-time Grand Slam champion eventually outlasted his rival in a deciding set tiebreak after a grueling three-hour battle. That was Alcaraz's third consecutive triumph against Sinner, and he was the only one who consistently beat him last year.
Alcaraz's happy memories at the tournament meant it was reasonable to assume he planned to return to the tournament in the Chinese capital. However, it has been revealed that this is not the case.
A post on the Instagram page dedicated to the Japan Open revealed that Alcaraz will compete at the Japan Open instead. The tournament in Tokyo, also an ATP 500-level event, is held the same week as the China Open.
Alcaraz's decision is even more surprising because the China Open always offers more prize money each year. That is why the entry lists in Beijing usually contain slightly more players in the Top 10.
However, it is unknown what appearance fee with Alcaraz was agreed upon. The Japan Open organizers might have spent more than usual to secure the Spaniard's involvement because he is a global superstar.
This is not the first change Alcaraz has made to his schedule. He usually competes on clay at the Argentina Open and Rio Open in February Open but decided to play on hard courts in Rotterdam and Qarar instead.
Those moves might indicate that 2025 is an exploratory year for Alcaraz. He may want to determine whether the tournaments in February and this year's Japan Open, which runs from September 22nd to 30th, suit him better.
Alcaraz hopes to become another young player to win the Japan Open. The 2023 iteration was won by Ben Shelton, who made headlines for criticizing the Australian Open broadcasters, after he overcame Aslan Karatsev in the final.
That trend continued when Arthur Fils secured the title last year. His final victory against fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert was a dramatic battle that the 20-year-old won 5-7, 7-6, 6-3.
While Alcaraz's appearance in Tokyo is months away, the Rotterdam Open organizers will be even more glad to have him involved after Sinner withdrew from next week's event because of his efforts to win the Australian Open.
Sinner pulling out led to Stefanos Tsitsipas accepting a last-minute wild card to appear at the Rotterdam Open. The Greek No. 1 is a great player and a former runner-up in Rotterdam, but he cannot fill the void left by Sinner.
Therefore, Alcaraz's involvement is even more critical. The 21-year-old might be the most popular tennis player in the world right now because of his outstanding shot-making and willingness to engage with the crowd.
