The bizarre trend that keeps happening to players who beat Carlos Alcaraz

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Beating Carlos Alcaraz requires a huge physical and mental effort, and it seems that it takes quite a toll in the immediate aftermath.

With titles at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open, Alcaraz has been the dominant figure in men’s tennis this season.

He is also the ATP number one, and remains the player to beat despite ultimately falling short at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

Alcaraz lost in the semifinals of the former and the third round of the latter, with those who have beaten him continuing a rather bizarre trend.

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Players who beat Carlos Alcaraz continue to lose their next match

Over the last year, four players have beaten Alcaraz before the final of the respective ATP tournament, with all four losing their next match.

David Goffin defeated the Spaniard in the second round of the 2025 Miami Open, but was beaten by Brandon Nakashima immediately after.

Cameron Norrie followed suit at the 2025 Paris Masters, losing his third round tie with Valentin Vacherot after knocking out Alcaraz.

At this year’s Sunshine Double, Daniil Medvedev lost the Indian Wells final to Jannik Sinner after his semifinal victory over the Spaniard.

And Sebastian Korda just suffered a shock defeat to world number 151 Martin Landaluce after his third round win against Alcaraz in Miami.

It is quite the trend, and shows that defeating the Spanish superstar certainly doesn’t equate to a title.

On the contrary, it suggests that many players find it difficult to recover from such a physical and mental battle against Alcaraz, even on the rare occasion they come out on top.

What is Carlos Alcaraz’s best surface?

Of course, many variables are involved in Alcaraz’s current scenario, in which his utter dominance has slowed down somewhat.

Alcaraz thinks players raise their level against him, while fatigue is likely to kick in amid his busy run in 2026, from which he boasts a stunning 17-2 record.

Others may point to his ability on hard courts, which he has already proven time and again, most recently in Melbourne and Qatar this season.

Who is the better hard court player – Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner?

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He’s clearly adept on clay and grass courts too, with the ATP calendar now turning to the former, beginning with the Monte Carlo Masters for Alcaraz.

The popular Spaniard has won a huge 26 ATP titles, and intriguingly he’s claimed 11 on hard courts and 11 on clay courts.

His other four have arrived on grass, with the world number one having already won Grand Slams on all three surfaces.

With three titles, hard courts represent the majority of his success at major level, followed by two each on clay and grass.