Carlos Alcaraz Unhappy With 'Not Fair' Assumptions About His Results
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Carlos Alcaraz feels like some of the criticism he receives is unfair, at least given the circumstances.
Since the day he emerged as an incredibly talented individual when it comes to creating magic with a tennis racket, Alcaraz has been in a challenging position. He is the guy that everyone expects a lot from, regardless of the circumstances or the situation that he is in.
The Spanish prodigy will need to learn to work with those expectations, as that's something that he won't be able to avoid until the end of his tennis career. But despite being aware that people will likely always have expectations, Alcaraz is free to think whatever he wants about those opinions.
In recent weeks, those opinions were mostly negative, as the four-time Grand Slam champion struggled to deliver what was expected of him. He won a title in Rotterdam, but other than that, he recorded some surprising losses.
But Alcaraz doesn't see it that way. Speaking ahead of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, the 21-year-old said that he is happy about his tennis, despite those losses.
"I am really happy with the way I am playing. Since I started the year, I have been playing great tennis. Tennis is not just about hitting the ball. It is about more than that. It is about mentality, physical side."
Alcaraz also said that it's unfair that those criticizing him think he should be able to win every match. For example, Jack Draper, who beat him in Indian Wells, is a great player and deserves credit for his performance, as does David Goffin, who beat the Spaniard in Miami.
"With my game, I am really happy about it. If I don’t wi,n it doesn’t matter if I play well or not. People are not thinking about the opponent, they are just thinking about me. If I lose something is going on people say. I don’t think that is fair. I am just happy and ready to play well on clay."
Alcaraz isn't the only one who thinks that the recent criticism is unfair. Gilles Simon recently said something similar, and Alcaraz certainly agrees. He thinks that he shouldn't be able to win every event that he enters, considering the current strength of the Tour.
"A lot of people might have said we should have played better tennis or won more tournaments, but I don’t think that is fair. I think the draw in every tournament is very open and a lot of players are playing good tennis and they deserve to be there."
"There are so many players who play well on clay and on all surfaces. In the clay season I think it is going to be interesting. I see a lot of players who are capable of doing great things on clay."
Alcaraz is also excited to play again at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He played at the event only once before, losing in his first match in 2022 against Sebastian Korda.
"I am really happy to be here. It is a tournament I have only played [once]. I want to come here and play great. I am really excited about practising here and getting ready for my first match."
