Carlos Alcaraz's 'shocking' message to coach addressed after public meltdown

Carlos Alcaraz sparked concern when he crashed out in the third round of the Miami Open earlier this month. The world No. 1 started the year on a high when he completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open. He followed it up with another title in Doha, before his 16-match unbeaten run came to an end in the Indian Wells semi-finals.

But it was a different Alcaraz on court against Sebastian Korda in Miami. It wasn’t just the early exit that came as a surprise, it was the nature of the defeat. The Spanish star grew frustrated and ranted at his box, waving his arms around and saying he couldn’t “take it anymore” and wanted to go home.

His wish was granted, Korda sealed a 6-3 5-7 6-4 victory and sent former champion Alcaraz out of the tournament. Retired Spanish star Feliciano Lopez has now addressed the world No. 1’s “shocking” rant towards his box in Miami. “On the one hand, it can happen to any player. In the end, tennis is a routine, monotonous sport, where the same thing happens every week, Madrid Open tournament director Lopez told Radio Nacional Spain.

“You see the same people, you go to the same places, you play at the same clubs, same hotels... I understand that a tennis player at certain times, for whatever reason – perhaps because they've been away from home for a while, or because they've had a personal problem – might feel the way Carlos felt in Miami. I understand that.

“What surprised me is that it happened when it did, when he's experiencing the best moment of his career. Because in the last year and a half, Carlos, in my opinion, has been phenomenal, especially mentally, the change he's undergone. He was already the best player in the world, battling with Sinner, one week you're on top, the next I'm on top, but I think that in the last year and a half, his mental transformation has been incredible.

“Carlos is a much more stable player, much more mentally consistent, with practically no lapses during games. He's a player who, in the only area where there was a little more room for improvement, is precisely where Carlos has improved the most in the last year and a half. So, I was surprised by the timing, because he's having an incredible time.”

While Lopez wasn’t surprised to see Alcaraz suffer burnout, he admitted it was unexpected for that to come during the Miami Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion has made it clear that he needs to enjoy himself off the court to do well on it, and Lopez knows his countryman is under immense pressure.

He continued: “If you know Carlos a little, it's not so surprising. Carlos is a very expressive person, for better or for worse, and he says what he thinks on the court while competing, in private conversations, and at press conferences. He speaks his mind openly and says what he thinks. I love people like that, who are straightforward and say what they think. It's true, and I understand that for many people, seeing the world No. 1 shout at his coach, ‘I want to go home’, might be shocking. But if you put it in context and know the man himself a bit, maybe it won't seem so strange.

“Every day he gets up to compete, he has the obligation to win because he's the best. Every time Carlos wins something important, the names of Rafa [Nadal, Novak [Djokovic], [Roger] Federer come up... That's a very heavy burden, and what's incredible about all of that for me is how well he handles it. The natural way he deals with the pressure in matches, his courage, his composure.”

Alcaraz is now facing even more pressure during the clay season, where he must defend 4,330 points after lifting trophies at the Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open and French Open last year, and finishing runner-up in Barcelona. But he also lost early in Miami 12 months ago, and it ended up being a blessing in disguise, allowing him to rest and recharge to enjoy a strong run on the clay.

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