Carlos Alcaraz’s journey to becoming a ‘really good player’ indoors starts here

Carlos Alcaraz makes his Rotterdam Open debut this week, with the Spaniard looking to change his fortunes on indoor courts.
Ahead of his opening match, we look at Alcaraz’s struggles in indoor conditions, and why a change of approach is the right decision.
Win percentage drop
When it comes to grass courts and clay courts, Alcaraz is laughing; he has won 88.9% of his matches on grass – a 24-3 win/loss record – while he has amassed an 81.8% (81-18) record on the dirt.
A 108-36 record gives him a win percentage of 75% overall on hard courts, while his overall career win percentage of 78.9% ranks him ninth in ATP Tour history.
However, there is a noticeable drop when it comes to indoor courts.
Alcaraz has played 37 matches indoors to date and has compiled a solid, but unspectacular, 25-12 record – a win percentage of 67.6%.
That ranks well below his overall career win percentage, his percentage on every other surface and also puts him well below his key rivals.
Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner hold a 79.8% and 78.4% record respectively, ranking them joint-sixth and eighth on the ATP all-time standings.
No silverware
Another damning stat for the four-time Grand Slam champion is his lack of silverware on the surface.
In fact, Alcaraz is yet to reach a final on the surface – let alone win a title.
His best indoor results to date have been two semi-final showings, one at the 2022 Swiss Indoors – where he fell to Felix Auger-Aliassime – and the other at the 2023 ATP Finals, where he attained a 2-2 record across his four matches.
Alcaraz failed to make it out of his group at the ATP Finals in Turin at the end of 2024 and was beaten in round three of the Paris Masters – a tournament where has made just one quarter-final in four attempts.
In contrast, he has eight clay court titles, five hard court titles (outdoors) and three grass court titles, including a ‘Surface Slam’ of majors won on all three surfaces.
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How can he improve?
There is a simple answer to this question: play more. And, that is exactly what Alcaraz is doing.
He is making his debut appearance in Rotterdam this week, joining the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur in the field.
Previously, the Spaniard chose to play in Buenos Aires and Rio during the South American clay swing, though 2025 has led to a different approach for the world No 3.
Logistically it is a sensible approach for Alcaraz who, after his Australian Open exit, could return home, practice, and stay in Europe for a lengthier spell before heading to the US hard-court swing.
It is also a sensible and rational strategy when looking at his career from a long-term perspective.
He has already proven himself on pretty much any other surface, in particular, clay; there is little reason for him to head to South America at this stage of his career.
With the ATP Finals and Davis Cup Finals – two titles he is yet to win – likely to remain indoors, prioritising improvements in such conditions is an understandable priority.
Considering his comparative lack of experience indoors, playing Rotterdam – which has one of the strongest fields of any ATP 500 event – is a significant step in the right direction.
“I have no experience playing on indoor courts,” admitted Alcaraz last November.
“I could practice a lot on indoor courts, but I have no matches in my back on indoor courts [sic]. So I don’t know. I have to be better on this part of the year that we play on indoor courts.
“I’ll be a really good player on indoor courts, I’m sure about it. But I think it’s about time, about getting experience, getting matches in my back, hitting on indoor courts.”
Now, we’ll see just how quickly any improvement comes.
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