Carlos Alcaraz struggled during the Sunshine Double events in the U.S., marking the first time in four years that he didn’t secure a title in either tournament.
The Spanish player entered Indian Wells as the reigning champion for two consecutive years but was unable to maintain his success.
Alcaraz faced defeat against Jack Draper in the semi-finals, losing with scores of 1-6, 6-0, 4-6, which also marked his first loss in California since 2022.
His poor performance continued in Miami, where Belgian veteran David Goffin eliminated Alcaraz in the second round.
Boris Becker Expresses Concerns Over Alcaraz’s Schedule
In a discussion on the Becker Petkovic podcast, former world number one Boris Becker voiced his worries about Alcaraz possibly overcommitting to tournaments and exhibitions, revealing that his fears have been confirmed.
“I feared that the young Spaniard would participate in too many tournaments and also play exhibitions during the off-season,” said Becker, criticizing the exhibition match in Vegas [note: it was actually in Puerto Rico] just before Indian Wells. “While this may boost earnings, it complicates annual and tournament planning significantly. Unfortunately, my concerns turned out to be valid.”
Earlier this year, Alcaraz participated in an exhibition match against Frances Tiafoe in San Juan, Puerto Rico, before setting his sights on clay court tournaments. Becker anticipates that Alcaraz is currently in Mexico with family and may forgo Monte Carlo, which begins soon. “If he can only start in Barcelona, as is customary, that would be acceptable, but he needs to get back into action swiftly.”
As of now, Alcaraz has not won a match at Monte Carlo, and Becker doubts this trend will change in 2025. Alcaraz has recently engaged in 14 exhibition matches spanning four continents since the start of the 2024 season. Moving forward, his exhibit schedule will be closely monitored, particularly as his next competitive outing is anticipated at the Monte-Carlo Masters starting April 7, though Z Becker hints that this might alter as well.
