Is Carlos Alcaraz risking injury by taking on a ‘crazy’ schedule?
The smile remained etched onto Carlos Alcaraz’s face despite Team Europe’s defeat in the Laver Cup, with what comes next the question now on the mind of the world No 1 – and that question has plenty of answers.
It was around this time last year that Alcaraz voiced his concerns about his motivation and desire to travel the globe chasing prizes that come with a little less prestige than what he has already achieved in 2025.
The four Grand Slam events are the pillars around which the tennis year is built and once the US Open is done and dusted in mid-September, the final weeks of the year tend to be focused around a chase for ranking points and prize money.
The rankings goal in Alcaraz’s sights in the year-end world No 1 spot and that should keep his focus sharp after he assumed top spot after beating his great rival Jannik Sinner in the US Open final.
Yet questions may be asked over Alcaraz’s decision to take on such a hectic schedule after a year when he has already achieved so much.
More Tennis News
Roger Federer makes claim about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner being helped by court speed
Former US Open champion picks a word to describe Carlos Alcaraz after up close view
His French Open and US Open wins were complemented by victories in the ATP Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo, Roma and Cincinnati.
The 22-year-old has crammed in a lot of tennis this year, with his 67 matches and 61 wins ensuring he comfortably leads both of those statistics and while his young body should be able to cope with the demands, he stated last September that he lacks motivation for events that are not at the top of his priority list.
“Well, honestly it is difficult. I mean, sometimes I didn’t feel motivated at all,” he confessed after a summer that also included a run fo the final of the Olympics in Paris.
“It is a difficult moment. As I said many times, you know, the calendar is so tight, a lot of tournaments, no days off or not as many days off as I want.
“Sometimes I really want to take some days for myself that I can’t because I have to practice, I have to travel, I have to, you know, the jet lag sometimes when you’re travelling around the world.
“So sometimes you don’t want to go to tournaments, I’m not gonna lie. I have been feeling this, you know, this feeling a few times already that I don’t want to go to that tournament because I want to stay at home with my family or my friend.
“But I have to find the motivation just to go and put the right tennis or the right face in the practice and on the matches.
“I’m a business guy. I always want to win every match that I go, but as I said many, many times, my best tennis shows up when I’m smiling and enjoying on court, and sometimes difficult to find that rhythm or that good feeling.
“So, I mean, I want to be focused on my team and my family and try to play my best in every practice, in every match, to be at the top of the ranking. I think it is the best option to keep motivated.”
The ‘business guy’ comment will be relevant for the next few weeks as Alcaraz is flying straight from the Laver Cup in San Francisco to Japan for an ATP 500 event.
He also has an ATP 1000 event in Shanghai on his agenda and then the money matches kick in.
Alcaraz will be a star attraction at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, as he chases the biggest cash prize in tennis.
After that, he could play in the ATP 500 tournaments in Basel or Vienna, again for big appearance fees, before the ATP 1000 event in Paris and the ATP Finals in Turin.
After that, he has signed up for an exhibition event in December that will also feature Emma Raducanu, with the appearance fees on offer hard to resist.
The amount of global travelling may be as draining as the matches for Alcaraz, with the Australian Open in Melbourne his next big target in January as he looks to complete the career Grand Slam by winning all four major titles.
Alcaraz may be young enough and enthusiastic enough to take on a schedule that be a recipie for fatigue and injury issues, but that is the balance act he needs to consider at a time when he is the biggest name in tennis.
READ MORE: Every word Taylor Fritz said as he reveals how he beat Carlos Alcaraz
