“At some point, I will do great in this tournament, sooner than later”: in-form Alcaraz still chasing his Paris breakthrough
The Vienna champion has never gone beyond the quarter-finals in Paris and cannot explain why. He recalled the pressure of his 2021 defeat to Hugo Gaston and the doubts of his long absence, and says his breakthrough at the event will come.
Carlos Alcaraz, Rolex Paris Masters 2026 | © Chryslèen Caillaud / PsNewz
Carlos Alcaraz has never gone beyond the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters, and on Monday the Spaniard admitted he could not explain why. He arrives on a five-match winning streak, after beating Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-4 in the Vienna final on Sunday.
“I don’t know, to be honest. It’s weird,” he said. “There were some years that I came here not feeling 100 percent, especially mentally, but there were some years that I felt well, I really wanted to be here at my best, I was excited about playing here, and I ended up losing first or second round, not playing good tennis.”
“So not any specific reason for that. But I’m pretty sure at some point I will do great in this tournament. I will feel the way that I want to feel in this tournament, and it will happen sooner than later.”
Alcaraz has a 5-5 record in Paris. His best result came in 2022, when, as World No. 1, he retired with an abdominal injury in the quarter-finals against Holger Rune, trailing 6-3, 6-6. Last year, again as World No. 1, he lost to Cameron Norrie 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the second round, one of the worst matches of his career, after which he said he had “no sensation” on the ball.
Alcaraz on his 2021 defeat to Gaston in Paris: “pressure from the outside”
His first visit, in 2021, left a mark. At 18, Alcaraz lost 6-4, 7-5 in the third round to French qualifier Hugo Gaston, then ranked No. 103, in front of a crowd firmly behind the Frenchman in Bercy.
“I don’t have great memories of that match, to be honest,” he said on Monday. “It was a tough moment for me. I would say it was the first time that I felt the pressure from the outside.”
“The lesson that I took from that moment is to not respond to the crowd or to the people, just to be focused on myself, to be focused on what’s going on on the court, and trying not to let that energy affect me mentally. I do remember, back in 2021, that match: I felt the pressure and I felt down. But I learned a lot from that one.”
At the time, he had written on social media that it hurt him a lot not to know how to deal with that pressure.
Alcaraz on the doubts of his long absence
This time, Alcaraz comes to Paris with a fourth title of the season. “Obviously winning gives you a lot of confidence,” he said. “This is a tournament I really want to do great at some point, to be honest. Coming into this week, getting a lot of experience, freedom and confidence, I just hope to deliver great tennis and a great level this week.”
He admitted he had not always been sure he would find his level again during his time away from the tour. “It was a long period of time that I was out, so I had a lot of time to think, to feel. There were some moments that I was sure that I was going to come back at my best. There were some moments that I doubted myself, I’m not going to lie: if I was going to be at my best at 100 percent again, if I was going to be healthy again.”
“When you’re surrounded by great people, great professionals, and you trust your team at 100 percent, I would say it’s easier to come back. So I’m just really, really happy that we made a great job and we are here in this position right now.”
Speaking in Spanish, he said small physical issues were “the most normal thing in the world” after returning to tournament after tournament at maximum intensity. “I’m happy to finally reach this part of the season in a good place physically and mentally,” he added. “We’re going to try to use coming in fresh as an advantage.”
Paris, Alcaraz’s last chance at a Masters 1000 title this season
The World No. 3 and second seed opens on Wednesday against Alex Michelsen or Jiri Lehecka. A title in Paris would make him the third player, after Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, to win Masters 1000 titles in five consecutive years, and Paris is his last chance this season.
For now, he is taking nothing for granted. “What I know right now is, mentally, I’ve got to be strong with the difficulties that I might face in the first round,” he said.
