Carlos Alcaraz’s big pre-season decision raised ‘red flag’ of concern for Grand Slam legend

Carlos Alcaraz may have made a mistake by agreeing to play in exhibition tournaments during the off-season, according to Grand Slam-winning legend Mark Woodforde.

Alcaraz collected big pay cheques as he played in exhibition events in New York, where he played against Ben Shelton in Madison Square Gardens before he took on Frances Tiafoe in Charlotte, North Carolina.

After the Spaniard suggested the tennis calendar was too long and appealed for players to have more time off, Alcaraz’s decision to play extra matches during the off-season raised some eyebrows.

Now 17-time Grand Slam doubles champion Woodforde has told Tennis365 that the 21-year-old may regret his transatlantic escapades.

“My only concern during the off-season was Alcaraz’s decision to fly to America to play some exhibition matches. That was a bit of a red flag for me,” began Woodforde, who is an ambassador for the Bank of China Hong Kong Tennis Open 2025.

“After playing in those matches, it will be interesting to see how he kicks off the season after that decision.

“To travel to the US and play some matches when he could have been resting and preparing, I was not a big fan of the exhibitions he played.”

After making a stunning start to his professional career, Alcaraz could complete a career Grand Slam if he wins the Australian Open and adds that title to the Wimbledon, French Open and US Open crowns he already has in is collection.

He went out of the Australian Open after a quarter-final defeat against Alexander Zverev last year, with Woodforde suggesting the absence of his experienced coach Juan Carlos Ferrero was crucial to that defeat.

“I don’t think he is the complete player yet and we saw that at the Australian Open last year,” continued Woodforde.

“The impact of not having Juan Carlos Ferrero with him in Australia last year was significant, as Carlito’s coach missed that event after undergoing knee surgery.

“He has been the rock in Alcaraz’s camp and I didn’t like the way he was playing his matches in Juan Carlos’s absence in Australia.

“He ended up losing against Alexander Zverev with what I would describe as an unusual performance that went against a player who was a little battle-weary.

“Zverev was coming off the back of some tough five-setters and against an opponent who is not at his freshest, you would think that elongating the points would have been a good tactic for Alcaraz and yet he tried to bulldozer his way through the match.

“That highlighted the youthful exuberance Alcaraz brings to the game. He still has that youthful mindset, but he is a fast learner and I’d expect him to do well at the Australian Open this year.”

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While Woodforde has backed Novak Djokovic to roll back the clock and claim an 11th Australian Open title in Melbourne next month, he suggests the end of an era the Serbian led alongside Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal is now edging closer.

“It was going to happen at some stage that we would transition out of the era of the big three. Federer and Nadal has stepped out of tennis and Novak is the last one standing,” he added.

“We don’t know whether Djokovic has another whole season or maybe even two seasons left in him, but the arrival of Jannik and Carlitos has helped to recharge the interest in tennis.

“There is nothing better in our sport than rivalries between players with contrasting styles and personalities. We have seen it with the men’s and women’s game and you need these rivalries to create the interest from fans.

“When these new guys are breaking records, it makes it even more exciting and the fact that they are so young and could be around for a decade and more adds to the excitement around these two.”

Alcaraz is not playing any tournaments in the opening week of the new season and went into the Australian Open last year without playing a warm-up event.

He is expected to be part of fan week that takes place in the days prior to the start of the Australian Open and is being promoted to take part in an exhibition match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur on January 8 to be played at Rod Laver Arena and he is also set to take part in a night that will feature his big rival Jannik Sinner on January 10.

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