Carlos Alcaraz's 'hurdle to overcome' outlined by former world No. 1

Saturday, 08 November 2025 at 12:35

byJordan Reynolds

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated men's tennis in the last two years, but Justine Henin thinks the Spaniard has questions to answer in one particular set of conditions.

After a surprising defeat to David Goffin at the 2025 Miami Open, Alcaraz went on an incredible run of reaching nine consecutive ATP finals, winning seven. His only losses were at the 2025 Barcelona Open and the 2025 Wimbledon Championships.

That outstanding streak ended in the round of 32 at the 2025 Paris Masters, an indoor event. Cameron Norrie overcame Alcaraz in three sets after an error-strewn display that caused a lot of surprise after he had played so well since the clay-court swing.

However, a performance like that was most likely to occur on an indoor hard court. Alcaraz has struggled in those conditions more than any other throughout his career, as evidenced by his never reaching the semifinals of the Paris Masters.

The six-time Grand Slam champion had seemed more confident about performing well in conditions that were much slower than last year, which Alcaraz had voiced dissatisfaction with. Instead, he did not win a single match.

Henin spoke about his indoor record to Eurosport France. The WTA legend thinks he has the potential to play well at the 2025 ATP Finals, which is always held indoors, but acknowledges that he needs to improve in the conditions.

"I think there are still some questions for Alcaraz in indoor conditions, even though he seems to have a lot of potential to perform well in those conditions. There’s no way around it, it’s still a hurdle to overcome. It’s the end of the season, even though he’s had some time off these last few weeks."

"He’ll have to manage the fatigue from the whole season, the pressure of the Masters. It’s a tournament where he’s never been able to shine as he would have liked, knowing that Sinner will arrive in top form."

Sinner undoubtedly starts as the favorite for the ATP Finals. He won last year's iteration, the event is held on home soil for him in Turin, and he has been the best indoor hard-court player worldwide for a few years, including winning the recent tournament in Paris.

Also, Sinner beat Alcaraz in the 2024 and 2025 Six Kings Slam finals on an indoor hard court. Although an exhibition, those two victories contrast sharply with Alcaraz winning seven of his last eight matches against the Italian outdoors.

Whether Novak Djokovic will play at the ATP Finals is uncertain

Fans got excited when Italian Tennis Federation chief Angelo Binaghi said Djokovic would appear at the 2025 ATP Finals after skipping last year's edition to prioritize rest before preparing for the 2025 Australian Open.

Djokovic rubbished Binaghi's words the following day. The 24-time Grand Slam champion said he has not decided whether to compete in Turin and that he and his team will consider it after the Athens Open ends.

If Djokovic withdrew, Lorenzo Musetti and Felix Auger-Aliassime would qualify for the year-end championships. For now, the final line-up is unclear.