Carlos Alcaraz started the 2025 season with a couple of quite surprising losses and the triumph at the Rotterdam ATP 500, which allowed him to break a small curse.
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The young Spanish ace was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open. This defeat against the Serbian legend can be considered surprising, because Nole is 38 years old and it was thought that Carlitos would have a significant advantage in a best-of-five set match.
In addition, the 21-year-old from Murcia had won the first set and seemed ready to take revenge for the defeat suffered in the final of the Paris Olympics last summer. However, the 4-time Grand Slam champion lost focus in the second half of the match and allowed Novak to reach yet another semifinal 'Down Under'.
The other surprising defeat was the one against Jiri Lehecka in the quarterfinals of the Doha ATP 500. After losing the first set, the former world No. 1 had overturned the momentum of the match and was ahead by a break in the third set before suffering the shocking comeback of the Czech ace.
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Alcaraz works for the future
The world number 3's record in the first month and a half of 2025 is saved by his winin Rotterdam, which allowed him to break a fast that had lasted since October 2024 and lift his first trophy in indoor conditions.
It is no mystery that Carlos does not like to play in those conditions and his results certify it.
As his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero revealed in a long interview with Eurosport, the choice to play the Rotterdam ATP 500 was aimed at allowing the young Spaniard to gain more and more confidence on his less congenial ground.
"Everyone knows that Carlitos struggles the most to play his best tennis in indoor conditions and his results in the latter part of the season have never been brilliant so far. Having won in Rotterdam on this type of surface, where the ball bounces very little, will certainly help him for the future.
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I'm sure he'll be more ready in the last tournaments of the season," Ferrero explained.
