Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of Indian Wells, losing to Jack Draper in three sets to end his chances of silverware in California.
Alcaraz was beaten in the quarter-final of the Australian Open by Novak Djokovic and his wait for a title in 2025 goes on after defeat to Draper.
The Spaniard played his part in a brilliant match against the Great Britain number one but it wasn’t to be for him as the big serving performer prevailed.
It’s not the singles tournament which has caused the most intrigue, however, but the doubles, with Jordan Thompson and Seb Korda making the final.
Ultimately, the pair fell short but talk of more top players featuring in the doubles side of things has caused a topic of discussion.
Alcaraz perhaps isn’t known for his prowess when it comes to doubles but some former players have claimed they’re surprised he’s now stuck his name down for more time on court.
Steve Johnson and John Isner make Carlos Alcaraz claim
He’s hardly renowned for playing doubles matches but it appears that Isner and Johnson think Alcaraz should be teaming up with someone.
Alcaraz will have his sights set on more major titles in singles competition having won four Grand Slams already during his young career.
Speaking on the doubles competition at Indian Wells, the two former players have been discussing Alcaraz on the Nothing Major Podcast, with the conversation going as follows:
Johnson: “It is odd not to see top 10 guys play doubles.”
Isner: “I think it’s a bummer for the fans not to see Alcaraz playing doubles. Like getting Carlos out there on the doubles court!”
Johnson: “I am surprised Alcaraz isn’t playing, for some reason, I don’t know why. He seems like a guy that would love to play doubles out here, that doesn’t make any sense to me.”
Alcaraz must retain singles focus
Losing to Draper definitely wouldn’t have been in the script for Alcaraz and with Jannik Sinner banned he’d have wanted to close the gap at the top of the world rankings.
Alcaraz isn’t at the stage of his career where doubles can help him tick over and the immediate priority for the Spaniard is to continue winning titles on the singles circuit.
The player is clearly very talented and it’s fascinating to see what he could eventually win as a player when the time comes for him to stop playing.
Whether he chooses to play doubles in the future remains to be seen but in the here and now, Alcaraz will be fine-tuning his game ahead of a title defence at Roland Garros in a couple of months.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal both played doubles matches at Indian Wells but for now, it would appear that Alcaraz isn’t entirely bothered about that format of the game.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
