For the first time since 2021 – when he participated in the Montpellier ATP 250 – Carlos Alcaraz will play a tournament on indoor hard courts in February. The young Spanish champion has decided to change his schedule a bit compared to recent years, in which he had always traveled to South America to play on red clay and get precious points on his favorite surface.
The 21-year-old from Murcia is aware that he needs to improve his level even on the fastest surfaces and has preferred the tournaments in Rotterdam and Doha this year. The 4-time Grand Slam champion – after being eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2025 Australian Open – practiced for a week in Juan Carlos Ferrero’s academy before flying to Rotterdam on Friday.
Carlitos wants revenge
The former world No.1 had a practice session with Daniil Medvedev to get used to the conditions and has already found out who his potential opponents will be. The Spaniard will make his debut against local idol Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday or Wednesday and will not have the luxury of underestimating this dangerous opponent.
Botic plays very well on this surface and will be able to count on the support of his fans. In addition, the Dutch player has already defeated Carlitos in the second round of the 2024 US Open by playing one of the best matches of his entire career.
The current world number 3 certainly remembers that loss very well and will want to take revenge.
As if that were not enough, van de Zandschulp was also the last opponent of Rafael Nadal’s career at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga in November 2024.
Alcaraz will have extra motivation to start the tournament in high gear and try to win his first title in 2025. The last time the Spaniard lifted a trophy was in October 2024, when he won the Beijing ATP 500.
Carlos’ potential path is not easy and his best version will be needed to get to the end of this prestigious tournament, with the real chance of getting closer to Sascha Zverev in the ATP ranking.
Tennis World USA