Arriving at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 on Monday, Carlos Alcaraz reflected on his unexpected triumph in Monte Carlo. “I wasn’t expecting to win, just to get some time on clay and ending up winning the title gives me a lot of confidence for what is to come,” he admitted. This surprising win came after a mixed start to 2025, marked by a title in Rotterdam but also quarterfinal and semifinal exits in Doha and Indian Wells, respectively. But there was one event in particular that left him devastated. So much so that he even considered to not play at all!
To understand the significance of his maiden Monte Carlo Masters win, one needs to roll back to last month.
As the two-time reigning champion and the youngest man to ever win Indian Wells (in 2023), Carlos Alcaraz entered this year’s BNP Paribas Open aiming for a historic three-peat and carrying a formidable 16-match winning streak in the desert. However, despite appearing to gain control by winning the second set 6-0 against Jack Draper in the semifinals, his streak came to an end. The former World No. 1 and four-time Grand Slam champion later revealed, “I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself…”
It created a self doubt within himself – probably for the first time since his quarterfinal loss to Jiri Lehecka in Qatar.
After crashing out of the last four of Indian Wells, Alcaraz entered the second phase of the Sunshine Double – Miami Open. Having already won a trophy at the event, in 2022, it seemed like he would at least reach the semis. Nothing to worry about, right? Well, it wasn’t the case at all. Contrary to his own expectations, he faced a shocking first round exit.
Against Belgium’s David Goffin, ranked World No.52, the World No.2 failed miserably. He took the first set 7-5, but then the Belgian didn’t give a chance. The final score line read 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in favor of Goffin. It wasn’t just another loss for Alcaraz. That was the “final straw.”
In an interaction with Marca, dated April 16, Alcaraz was asked, “You repeated several times in Monte Carlo the problems you’ve been experiencing this past month. Can you elaborate?”
“It’s a combination of everything,” he began explaining. “In Indian Wells, I thought I was playing well, and off the court, I was pretty calm. The loss to Draper hurt a lot. Then I got to Miami, and that loss to Goffin was the final straw. We had to stop, sit down, and see what was happening.” Did the Spaniard hit the rock bottom?
“More or less that could be said. It’s just that it was hard for me to get out in the press, I didn’t even know what I was going to say. You can say yes,” Alcaraz gave his unfiltered take. Were there thoughts of quitting?
“In the end, in those situations, you think many things and, when something that has hurt you is so recent, you never think about it with perspective. “Many thoughts come to your head: stop, stop for a week, not go to a tournament, stop for several months, continue training, take a vacation and then train for what comes… Many thoughts came to my mind and one of the best things I did was to take several days off and give myself the opportunity to think clearly and see things with perspective and, from there, decide,” he put forth his remarks.
And as we know, he made a phenomenal return at the Monte Carlo Masters and how! He has now entered the second clay court tournament of 2025 season, which he considers his “home”.
Carlos Alcaraz on why playing is Barcelona is an incredible feeling
In the Monte Carlo final battle, an in-form Carlos Alcaraz didn’t let his Italian opponent Lorenzo Musetti breath. Although the latter snatched the first set, it was ‘the Alcaraz show’ afterwards. Musetti also struggled due to a leg injury sustained in the first set. Eventually, he couldn’t match the Spaniard’s charisma who lifted the trophy with a score line of 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
With the victory in The Principality, he earned his sixth overall 1000 Masters title. He also joined the list of iconic Spanish stars to have won the Monte Carlo Masters event. His idol Rafael Nadal leads the list with a record 11 titles. The 14-time Roland Garros king even extended his wishes to the 21-year-old after his emphatic win. On X he wrote, “Congratulations @carlosalcaraz! Congratulations on in such a special place ” So what’s next for Alcaraz in 2025?
Well, he’s busy again with another clay court tournament. Currently he’s competing at the Barcelona Open this week. Riding a formidable 10-match winning streak in Barcelona from his consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023, he won the opener against American Ethan Quinn. The Spaniard beat him in straight sets with a score line of 6-2, 7-6(6).
“It’s a privilege for me to return to Barcelona, which I feel was and is my home,” admitted the Spaniard on Monday. “I’m very happy to be able to come here, with the Monte Carlo title, feeling confident and above all feeling fit. I’m ready to compete and to feel the warmth of my people. Playing in Barcelona, in Spain, again is an incredible feeling.”
Next up, he will face Serbia’s Laslo Djere on Thursday. Ahead of the face-off, Alcaraz is having an edge. In the h2h tally, he’s leading 1-0. Given the form he’s in since Monte Carlo, it seems he will easily advance into the QF round after going past Djere. Do you think he will lift a third trophy in this year’s edition?
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