Carlos Alcaraz told he’s ‘making tennis sublime’ in stunning verdict from Justine Henin
Justine Henin has warned Carlos Alcaraz’s rivals that the Spaniard still has “room for improvement” after the world No 3 reached his first Monte Carlo Masters final.
Alcaraz defeated compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6(2), 6-4 in Saturday’s semi-final to book a place in Sunday’s final, where he will face Lorenzo Musetti.
Should he beat Musetti, the Spaniard would claim his second title of 2025 and a first title in Monte Carlo, as well as return to world No 2.
Victory for Alcaraz would also see him claim his 18th ATP Tour title and a sixth Masters 1000 title, sitting alongside his four Grand Slam singles titles.
Alcaraz’s run in Monte Carlo comes after the Spaniard faced criticism in some quarters for a perceived dip in form in recent events, which culminated in an opening-match exit in the Miami Open.
However, the Spaniard has seemingly silenced several of his doubters with a strong run in Monte Carlo.
And, he has now received the backing of Henin, a former WTA world No 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion.
Asked about Alcaraz in the aftermath of his win over Davidovich Fokina, the Belgian claimed Alcaraz’s career had been “dizzying” – and warned that the best could be yet to come.
“Yes, it’s dizzying,” said Henin, speaking on French TV.
“And it’s even more dizzying because there are times when we talk about Carlos Alcaraz’s doubts, that he’s winning a little less and we’re all starting to get scared – because he’s making tennis sublime.
“When you see everything he’s capable of doing and offering when it’s so clear in his head and he manages to put it into practice, it’s just phenomenal.
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“There’s also been an evolution in his attitude, his status, of course, he’s changed, he’s evolved and we feel that he still has a lot of work to do, that there’s still room for improvement, which is magnificent and promising.”
Alcaraz’s run in Monte Carlo comes at the start of what looks set to be a significant clay-court swing for the 21-year-old, culminating in his French Open title defence.
The Spaniard has 2,000 ranking points to defend at the Roland Garros but has a significant opportunity before then, having withdrawn from multiple events in 2024 due to injury.
Last season, Alcaraz did not play in Monte Carlo, Barcelona or Rome, reaching the quarter-final of his sole clay-court warm-up event in Madrid.
That means that the 21-year-old has a significant chance to build a cushion ahead of Roland Garros – and potentially challenge Jannik Sinner’s world No 1 status.
