Carlos Alcaraz ‘looking a bit tired’ and should consider skipping some tournaments, says Toni Nadal
Carlos Alcaraz should consider taking an extended break with legendary coach Toni Nadal saying the world No 1 “seems to be running on fumes”.
Seven-time Grand Slam winner Alcaraz has played 17 out of a possible 18 matches already in 2026 as he went all the way at the Australian Open and Qatar Open before his unbeaten streak was ended by Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final of last week’s Indian Wells Open.
The Spaniard started the match against Medvedev on the back of four consecutive wins over the former world No 1, but the Russian was way too good on the day as he came away with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) win to secure his place in the final.
After the match, Alcaraz was asked how he felt physically with a reporter stating “sometimes it seems that you were not so well” but he batted away any suggestion that he was tired as he put it down to the hot and humid conditions.
“It was because of the heat. I mean, the first set, I wasn’t bad at all, but I just felt like the long rallies, especially when you play against Daniil, that the rallies are long, that you have to increase all the power in almost every shot,” he said.
“It feels like you’re wasting extra energy after every shot. And with the heat, sometimes it’s really tricky to deal with all of that.
“The first set was a little bit of struggling for me, but it was because he just made it. He just made it that I had to struggle a little bit.
“In the second set, I just started to feel much better. I realised what I have to do. I realised that I have to suffer, and I accept it. I would say that that’s why the second set was better.”
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Nadal, who coached his nephew and tennis great Rafael Nadal during the bulk of his career, gave his assessment of Alcaraz’s performance and felt the 24-year-old looked like he was in need of a break.
“I’ve seen him looking a bit tired. In some rallies, he seemed to be running on fumes and with less energy than usual, and I thought, ‘Maybe he’s going to stop playing in some tournaments’,” he said on Onda Cero’s Radioestadio Noche.
“But he’s also fighting for the number one spot. I don’t know; Samu López and he will decide.”
With Jannik Sinner going on to beat Medvedev in the final of the Indian Wells Open, Alcaraz’s lead over the Italian in the battle for the No 1 spot in the ATP Rankings has been reduced to just over 2,000 points.
Alcaraz has 2,340 points to defend between now and the French Open while Sinner will only drop 650 points, leaving the Spaniard little room for changes to his calendar.
