Carlos Alcaraz's preparations for the 2025 ATP season officially began after he was videoed arriving in Murcia.
Alcaraz is one of the most talented players tennis has ever seen. Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe considers him the most talented young player in the sport's history.
Despite still being just 21 years old, Alcaraz won two more Grand Slams in 2024 at the French Open and Wimbledon, taking his tally to four. He overcame Alexander Zverev in the final at Roland Garros and Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
Those successes meant a former US Open champion was stunned at a recent press conference when he described his season as challenging, but there were some tricky moments for Alcaraz.
The Spaniard suffered a brutal defeat to Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics, held at Roland Garros. Alcaraz started as the favorite, but his legendary opponent produced a serving masterclass to overcome him.
That loss clearly affected Alcaraz during the North American hardcourt swing. The world No. 3 suffered early losses to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open and Botic van de Zandschulp at the US Open.
Alcaraz responded positively in Asia by outlasting Jannik Sinner in an epic China Open final in Beijing. After over three hours on the court, he prevailed in a deciding-set tie-break.
However, Alcaraz struggled once again during the indoor hardcourt season. The 2022 US Open champion lost in the round of 16 of the Paris Masters and failed to get out of his group at the ATP Finals.
The most disappointing moment of Alcaraz's season might have been his final tournament at the Davis Cup Finals. He spoke openly about wanting to win it for Rafael Nadal, who bid farewell to tennis after the team event.
Sadly, Nadal did not get the farewell he had hoped for, losing against Botic van de Zandschulp in his final professional match. Alcaraz leveled the tie in the other singles, but the Netherlands eliminated Team Spain after he and Marcel Granollers lost the deciding doubles.
The four-time Grand Slam winner has already played two exhibitions in December. Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden before losing to Frances Tiafoe in Charlotte a few days later.
After keeping himself sharp by competing in those exhibitions, Alcaraz has begun pre-season training. Three videos of him arriving in Murcia to start working can be viewed below.
In the third video, Alcaraz seems to be in a relaxed mood, happily greeting someone at the gym. The 21-year-old is known as one of tennis's most upbeat and friendly personalities.
His training begins in Murcia, but Alcaraz should also complete a week-long training camp in Alicante during pre-season with Jack Draper, who had a breakthrough season in 2024, including beating Alcaraz at the Cinch Championships, even though the recent reports suggested that the British player might not be able to attend the camp.
This year's French Open champion recently announced he will work with a second coach in 2025 after hiring Pablo Carreno Busta's former coach, Samuel Lopez. He has agreed to coach Alcaraz alongside Juan Carlos Ferrero.
