Follow us on Google Discover Carlos Alcaraz has recorded another fantastic season so far, with the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals still to come.
The Spaniard has added eight more tour-level titles to his name, two of which have come at Grand Slams.
In one of the greatest tennis matches in recent memory, Alcaraz defeated rival Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final to win consecutive crowns in Paris.
Then, in September, he triumphed over the Italian once again to reclaim the US Open title, while recapturing world number one status.
Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
Alcaraz is now in the French capital once again for the final Masters event of the season, where he has never made it past the quarterfinals.
Despite his excellent 2025 campaign, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, says some fans are beginning to worry about the 22-year-old.
Patrick Mouratoglou discusses worries about Carlos Alcaraz
In a post on Instagram, Mouratoglou said: “I’ve seen some commentaries online of people who were worrying about Carlos because he lost two matches lately.”
Alcaraz lost to Taylor Fritz at the Laver Cup in September and recently lost to Sinner at the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia.
“Calm down,” said Mouratoglou. “I think it’s the same phenomenon when Carlos plays an exhibition and when he’s in the second round of a Grand Slam.
“He feels he’s really way above his opponent, so he accepts losing his focus and losing the set.
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“Because he knows that first of all, the fact that it’s one set all is going to give him extra motivation and the flame will come back, and second, when there is no flame, he doesn’t find the resources.
“So that explains why he’s up and down in some matches. Actually, he is working on it and at the US Open, he didn’t have it that much.”
At the US Open, Alcaraz did not drop a set en route to the final, becoming the first man to do so since Roger Federer in 2015.
RoundOpponentScoreFinalJannik Sinner6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4SemifinalNovak Djokovic6-4, 7-6, 6-2QuarterfinalJiri Lehecka6-4, 6-2, 6-4Fourth RoundArthur Rinderknech7-6, 6-3, 6-4Third RoundLuciano Darderi6-2, 6-4, 6-0Second RoundMattia Bellucci6-1, 6-0, 6-3First RoundReilly Opelka6-4, 7-5, 6-4Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 US Open campaign
“He’s a player who needs the internal flame to give his best,” continued the Frenchman. “So when he feels threatened, he can give his best.
“When he’s over-motivated and he knows he can’t afford to lose his focus, he has the flame. When it doesn’t count that much for him, he doesn’t have the flame. When he has too much margin, he also struggles to find the flame.
“He won Tokyo because it was ATP and it counts for the ranking, so there was this excitement. Whether he wins or not the final of the Six King Slam, it’s not going to change much. I mean, it’s just money. He doesn’t play for money.”
Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty ImagesCarlos Alcaraz’s poor record at the Paris Masters
Alcaraz will look to finally enjoy a lengthy campaign at the Paris Masters, following four years in a row of being denied a semifinals appearance.
The six-time major champion has won eight Masters 1000 titles over the course of his career, but Paris has always proved to be a tricky place for him to get results.
2021 – Lost in the third round to Hugo Gaston2022 – Lost in the quarterfinals to Holger Rune2023 – Lost in the second round to Roman Safiullin2024 – Lost in the third round to Ugo Humbert
His best run at the tournament in 2022 was ended by eventual champion Holger Rune, who went on to defeat Novak Djokovic in the final to clinch a maiden Masters 1000 title.
This year, Alcaraz has had plenty of time to rest and recover for the event, having not featured at either the Swiss Indoors in Basel or the Vienna Open.