Former world No 1 reveals how Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘unpredictability’ worked against him in Paris Masters exit
Former world No 1 Jim Courier believes Carlos Alcaraz’s “unpredictability” may have worked against him during his stunning Paris Masters loss to Cameron Norrie on Tuesday.
Top seed Alcaraz had reached the final of his last nine ATP-level tournaments and was riding a 17-match win streak at Masters 1000 events heading into Paris, the final 1000-level event of 2025.
However, the world No 1 was far from his best against world No 31 Norrie, and the British star was able to take advantage, the 30-year-old beating Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to seal arguably the biggest win of his career.
Defeat for Alcaraz means that he could lose his world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner by the end of the week, and may halt his momentum after what has been a career-best season for the star.
The Spaniard’s triumphs at the French Open and US Open mean he is now a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, with Alcaraz also reaching the Wimbledon final in 2025.
Alcaraz has won eight titles in total and has reached a further two finals, the most titles he has ever won in an ATP season.
The 22-year-old has arguably become the face of men’s tennis, and his bombastic style of tennis has won fans across the globe, though he hit a staggering 54 unforced errors during his loss to Norrie.
Assessing Alcaraz’s defeat on Tennis Channel, four-time Grand Slam champion Courier questioned if Alcaraz’s “kamikaze” approaches to the net were the right tactic against Norrie, despite often working against other opponents.
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“What we love about Carlos Alcaraz is also what puts him at risk in matches like this,” said Courier
“We love his unpredictability. We love the way he just finds himself at the net against all odds when he is really just playing such high-risk tennis.
“He pulls it off so often, but on a day like today, 54 unforced errors. Remember 24 points a set is what you need, so over two sets worth of unforced errors from Alcaraz.
“It was also just the kamikaze net rushes against someone you don’t have to do that against. Against a guy who is not going to hit many winners from the baseline. But this is the Alcaraz experience, you get the great highs, and you get some days like today.
“He has not had these days for such a long time, that’s where it caught us off guard, but it takes us back to Miami, where David Goffin beat him. Goffin played a clean match like Cam Norrie but another early exit here at a Masters 1000, after a nearly flawless stretch for Alcaraz.”
Alcaraz will now look to reset ahead of the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals, his final two tournaments of 2025.
The Spaniard will be looking to win the ATP Finals for the first time in his career, having reached the semi-final on his debut at the event in 2023; he was knocked out in the round-robin stage in 2024.
He will also be looking to be part of a Davis Cup-winning team for the first time, with Spain aiming to lift the title for the first time since 2019.
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