Carlos Alcaraz sheds light on recovery from injury during off-season and being a global superstar

Ewan West 08 Jan 2026 6:15 PM

Carlos Alcaraz smiling

Carlos Alcaraz has shed light on his recovery from injury during the off-season and also his status as a global superstar in a new interview with former WTA star Andrea Petkovic.

The world No 1 sustained a hamstring injury in his last competitive match — a 6-7(4), 5-7 defeat to second-ranked Jannik Sinner in the final of the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin in November.

The six-time major champion had been due to end his season at the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna the following week, but the injury forced him to withdraw.

Alcaraz spoke to Petkovic, a former world No 9, for the first episode of Tennis Channel’s newly-launched podcast, The Big T.

What Carlos Alcaraz said about his off-season and his 2025 campaign

In an interview recorded two days before Alcaraz’s shock split with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Petkovic asked the Spaniard about his off-season and how he spent his days after the ATP Finals.

“After that match, I went to Bologna just to try to play with the Spanish team,” Alcaraz said.

“Yeah, I try, I went there, I did some tests, how [the injury] looked like; it didn’t look that good, so it was a bit disappointing.

“But right after that, I came back home, I try to recover. It was really good, chilling and recovering. Much needed.

“I’m hungry, I want to come back. My last week of off-season, my body was asking me to do something. Go to the gym or whatever. So I went to the gym, like four or five days.

“I tried to make the most of the time. I can’t stop, like, for more than three weeks. I get nervous (smiles). I had to find something to do.”

Tennis News

Tennis stars turned pundits predict if Alcaraz or Sinner will win more Grand Slams in 2026

How Carlos Alcaraz can break a 47-year-old Bjorn Borg record with an Australian Open triumph

Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.

Alcaraz then ranked his sensational 2025 campaign as the best of his career to date.

“This season (2025), I have been playing really good tennis, really consistent,” the 22-year-old assessed.

“It was something I was really looking to do in a season: playing really good tennis in so many tournaments in a row that I did this year, from the clay season until the end of the season. I think it’s been the best season I have ever played.”

What Carlos Alcaraz said about being a global superstar

Petkovic then asked Alcaraz whether he likes being a global superstar and having people watch him at all times.

“Well, you get used to it, to be honest (smiles),” Alcaraz said.

“Sometimes, I think it’s as everything — you really want what you don’t have. So sometimes, I don’t want to be organised and I really want to walk around by myself and do whatever a normal person does do.

“But at the same time, it’s really good, my position, so I cannot complain at all. I really love what I do. I really love when the people stop me and tell me, like, I’m a really good inspiration for their kids, for themself, for their lives. So for me it is an amazing feeling.

“And we’re trying to help tennis as much as we can, I think, with Jannik [Sinner] and me, the matches we have played in the tournaments we have played, I think we engaged the people who probably they have never watched tennis before. So for me, that’s a really good feeling, so that’s what we are trying to do. And I’m just really happy that I’m being able to do it.”