The mystery of the missing Alcaraz: World No. 1 left searching for answers after his Paris crash
After crashing out in his worst match of the season, Carlos Alcaraz was left utterly baffled, confessing he had “no sensation” on the ball and could not even explain his uncharacteristic failure.
Motion blur of Carlos Alcaraz, Rolex Paris Masters 2025 | © F. Pestellini / PsNewz
Carlos Alcaraz stood before the press, not as the usual picture of youthful confidence, but as a puzzled champion. His stunning defeat to Cameron Norrie (4-6, 6-3, 6-4) at the Rolex Paris Masters has added another strange chapter to his difficult relationship with this second-most prestigious indoor tournament behind the ATP Finals.
The story wasn’t one of injury or exhaustion, but of a complete and baffling sensory failure. Alcaraz was, in his own words, a ghost on the court, a phenomenon that has left the world number one utterly devoid of clear explanations.
Alcaraz’s “Worst Match”
The most striking element of Alcaraz’s post-match comments was the genuine confusion over his level. He had arrived in Paris feeling “great, feeling amazing,” having skipped Shanghai to “help recharge his battery” and ensure he was mentally and physically fresh. Yet, the version of Alcaraz that took the court was unrecognizable.
When asked to recall the last time he felt such a total lack of “sensation” “of being unable to feel or hit the ball cleanly”, he struggled to name a match.
“I don’t know. I have few…” he answered Tennis Majors. “I have few (smiling). But I don’t remember now. For sure this year it wasn’t… I think one loss that I had last year was with not feeling at all.”
He specifically distinguished this loss from his 2025 Miami defeat to David Goffin, which he dismissed as “more in terms of physically, not about hitting the ball.” This time, the failure was pure tennis, pure feeling.
“Very bad feelings today,” Alcaraz highlighted. “I’m really disappointed with the level I showed – both in my tennis and in general, everything really…” That this might have been my worst match of the whole season… Today it was purely about sensations: I couldn’t feel the ball, couldn’t hit it cleanly, couldn’t push through.”
Alcaraz far from being the real Carlitos at the Paris Masters
The Rolex Paris Masters, the final Masters 1000 of the year and the only indoor one, remains Alcaraz’s “white whale.” After being a quarter-finalist in 2022, his early exit means he has now won just one match in three attempts here.
Even as he searched for reasons, he dismissed the most obvious one – end-of-season fatigue, despite his call for a lightened calendar – insisting this year was different.
“I came here really well. I came here with a lot of energy… This is the best year for me in terms of playing at the end of the year. Other years I feel exhausted, I feel tired, I feel mentally, physically, but this year I feel good.” Having won the Rotterdam ATP 500 in February also proved he could prevail in a tournament indoors.
Instead, he drifted toward the intangible, mentioning the court speed, which he claimed was “really, really slow,” which was supposed to please him, as he stated it upon his arrival. He confessed that he “used the wrong game plan,” rushing his shots and trying to hit winners too early against a steady player like Norrie.
Immediate escape to prepare for the ATP Finals
The absence of an explanation meant Alcaraz was ready to wipe the slate clean immediately. Unlike some matches that are “worth rewatching to learn from,” the World No. 1 sees nothing redemptive about this loss, only “frustration and bad feeling all around.”
His immediate plan is one of total retreat and resetting for the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup. “Right now I just want to be back home, and let’s see what I’m going to do. Better to go home, forget about it, and keep training the way I was – because that’s been working.” Let’s call this Paris exit an accident.
