Carlos Alcaraz will be looking to find his form on clay, having struggled on tour recently.
World number three Carlos Alcaraz was stunned by David Goffin in the second round of the Miami Open, 7-5, 4-6, 3-6.
The result came one week after Alcaraz’s reign at Indian Wells came to an end when Jack Draper beat the two-time defending champion in the semi-finals.
As tennis transitions onto clay courts, Alcaraz will be confident of turning things around in search of a second title of 2025.
Before taking to the court in Monte-Carlo, Alcaraz took the time to share his thoughts on how tennis changes over time.
Carlos Alcaraz says tennis is ‘totally different’ now from how it was played 20 years ago
During an interview with Louis Vuitton, Alcaraz was asked what changes he would like to see in tennis and how he thinks he could help make them happen.
“That’s a big question, I don’t know honestly,” he said.
“I mean tennis has always been developing over the years.
“If we look back like 20 years ago, we can watch a totally different style of tennis, right now we’re playing with more speed.
“So I don’t know in the future what I have to do to change.”
Alcaraz then predicted the biggest changes would come off of the court.
“Probably it’s going to be more off the court than on the court,” he said.
“The way we train, [what] we are during the tournaments, for example, I don’t know, we’ll see in the future.”
Carlos Alcaraz says it’s a ‘good feeling’ to continue the Spanish legacy at the French Open
Tennis may have changed a lot over the past 20 years, but some things remain the same.
Spanish players continue to dominate at the French Open, a tournament Alcaraz won in 2024.
Alcaraz spoke openly about his love for the event and the pride he feels carrying on the legacy of his predecessors.
“It’s a really good feeling,” he said.
“For me, it’s a huge court. This is a court where a lot of Spanish people and Spanish players have had success, and I’m thinking about it.
“Yeah, I’m thinking about all the historic matches that have been played on that court.
“I’m a huge fan of tennis. I’ve watched a lot of matches from that tournament on that court, and I remember a lot of great matches, historic ones.
“I just want to be there in the history of tennis, in the history of this tournament, in the history of this court.”
Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in the 2024 French Open final, writing his name into the Roland Garros history books as he lifted his maiden title in Paris.
His win was the 21st by a Spanish player at the French Open in the Open Era, as the nation continues to dominate on the clay.
| Rank | Nation | French Open titles | Number of champions | French Open champions |
| 1 | Spain | 21 | 7 | Carlos Alcaraz (1) , Rafael Nadal (14), Juan Carlos Ferrero (1), Albert Costa (1), Carlos Moya (1), Sergi Bruguera (2), Andres Gimeno (1) |
| 2 | Sweden | 9 | 2 | Mats Wilander (3), Bjorn Borg (6) |
| 3 | Czechia | 5 | 2 | Ivan Lendl (3), Jan Kodes (2) |
| 4 | USA | 4 | 3 | Andre Agassi (1), Jim Courier (2), Michael Chang (1) |
| 5 | Serbia | 3 | 1 | Novak Djokovic (3) |
| 6 | Brazil | 3 | 1 | Gustavo Kuerten (3) |
| 7 | Switzerland | 2 | 2 | Stan Wawrinka (1), Roger Federer (1) |
| 8 | Argentina | 2 | 2 | Gaston Gaudio (1), Guillermo Vilas (1) |
| 9 | Australia | 2 | 2 | Rod Laver (1), Ken Rosewall (1) |
Alcaraz became the seventh Spaniard to win the French Open since 1968 and the first since Rafael Nadal began his reign of dominance that saw him pick up 14 titles between 2005 and 2022.
The 21-year-old would no doubt love to begin a streak of his own by winning a second consecutive title in 2025, when the tournament begins on May 25.
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