Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘listless’ Paris Masters loss came after his ‘hunger’ was questioned by ex-ATP star
Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shock defeat to Cameron Norrie in his opening match at the 2025 Paris Masters, and his display has been branded “borderline listless” by a former ATP player.
The world No 1 was badly out of sorts in the second and third sets of a 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 defeat to 31st-ranked Norrie in the second round of the Masters tournament.
Alcaraz committed 54 unforced errors and won just 46% (86 of 187) of the total points played in the match as he suffered his third defeat in eight meetings with Norrie.
Nicolas Escude questioned Carlos Alcaraz’s “hunger” before shock Paris Masters exit
- Carlos Alcaraz “went against everything he’s been doing for the past few months” in his Paris Masters loss to Cameron Norrie, according to Nicolas Escude
- Escude, a tennis analyst and former ATP world No 17, declared that Alcaraz has a “complicated relationship” with the Paris Masters
- The Frenchman had cast doubt over Alcaraz’s “hunger” for the end-of-season events ahead of the Paris Masters
Alcaraz’s showing against Norrie was arguably his worst performance in what has been an outstanding 2025 campaign, and it ended his remarkable run of nine consecutive finals that started at the Monte Carlo Masters in April.
It was Alcaraz’s joint-earliest loss of the season, along with his second round exit to David Goffin in March — which was his only other defeat before the quarter-finals of an event this year.
The 22-year-old Spaniard has won eight titles, including two Grand Slams, three ATP 1000 titles and three ATP 500s, in 2025. His season record is 67-8 (89.3%).
Escude’s assessment of Alcaraz’s shock Paris Masters exit
Speaking to Eurosport France, Escude gave his verdict on Alcaraz’s loss to Norrie and described the Spaniard’s relationship with the Paris Masters as “complicated.”
“We saw a borderline listless Alcaraz, complaining about the sensations he was having, exchanging long exchanges with his team members after losing the second set,” said Escude.
“He went against everything he’s been doing for the past few months. It’s surprising. But for the moment, his relationship with this tournament is complicated.
“Without taking credit away from Norrie, who played his match. He didn’t give much. He was a little shaky on his penultimate service game, but he finished very well.”
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What Escude said ahead of Alcaraz’s Paris Masters campaign
Prior to Alcaraz’s appearance in Paris, Escude was unconcerned by Alcaraz’s record on indoor hard courts, but he did raise questions over the six-time major winner’s “hunger” at this stage of the season.
“He managed to break his [indoor] duck in Rotterdam, even if it wasn’t vintage Alcaraz,” the Frenchman told Eurosport.
“I wouldn’t say he had a mental block about indoors. I don’t believe that. His game adapts perfectly to these conditions, especially since it’s a bit slower than the indoor courts of the past.
“If he stabilises things a bit more, as he showed in New York over two weeks, indoors won’t be a problem for him anymore. He’s the only one who has everything he needs to perform equally well on all surfaces.
“The question is, ‘How much does he want this end of the season?’ He’s almost guaranteed to finish number one. Will he be hungry enough to go for titles he hasn’t yet won?
“I’m struggling to know what state he’ll be in going into these last two tournaments. That’s the only slight question mark.”
During a career spanning from 1995 to 2006, Escude won four ATP Tour titles, reached the semi-finals at the Australian Open and the quarter-finals at both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz’s indoor record
Carlos Alcaraz holds a 31-13 (70%) record on indoor hard courts, which makes it his worst surface by a comfortable margin.
The Spaniard won his only indoor title to date at the ATP 500 tournament in Rotterdam in February.
He now has a 5-5 record from his five appearances at the Paris Masters, which is the only Masters 1000 event staged indoors.
Alcaraz is 3-4 (43%) from his two campaigns at the season-ending ATP Finals on the indoor hard-court of Turin.
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