Carlos Alcaraz has claimed his seventh ATP Tour title of the season after defeating Jannik Sinner in the final of the US Open.
Sinner received congratulations from Alcaraz despite the result in New York, where the Italian lost 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to the Spaniard.
It was a dominant display from start to finish from second seed Alcaraz, who overcame the US Open top seed in two hours and 42 minutes.
Alcaraz’s schedule for the rest of 2025 is set following his successful run in New York, where he secured a sixth career Grand Slam title.
He’s now replaced Sinner as the ATP number one, having ended the Italian’s 27-match winning streak at hard-court Grand Slams.
Carlos Alcaraz urged to take lengthy break after winning the US Open
Alcaraz has withdrawn from the Davis Cup qualifiers following his US Open success, but he’s now been urged to take a much longer break from the game.
Speaking on The Tennis podcast, 22-time Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles champion Todd Woodbridge said: “The difference you have with these two is that Jannik can keep up with him, no doubt about that.
“But how long can you maintain that level? You have got to physically keep fit. You have got to mentally keep in tune and interested and fresh.
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“And so you have to manage a lot of things to be able to play well. Ultimately I would love to see Carlos take a break now. He should have eight weeks off.
“He won’t be able to but if he took eight weeks off, enjoyed his success of what has been an incredible season and then go into a good training block, come down to Australia and play some pre-events which he has not done before, whether that be the United Cup or Adelaide or Brisbane.
“Have a proper plan about attacking the one Grand Slam he has not won before. That would then tick that next box and he will have won all four majors, but that is going to take some planning.
“Everyone else is going to be after him and he has to find a way to remain at the top. There are so many variables about whether he can and what the others are going to do to try and beat him.”
Why Carlos Alcaraz would be wise to consider a break from tennis
While Alcaraz would likely really enjoy a break from tennis after another busy tournament, it does look unlikely.
The ruthless schedule is showing no signs of slowing down, despite all four Grand Slam events having now been completed.
And while Alcaraz will be feeling on top of the world right now, it may indeed only be a matter of time before he burns out.
He’s played a mammoth 67 matches on the ATP Tour this season so far, winning 61 and losing six, with many more still to come.
The rewards have, of course, been obvious, but it would not be a surprise to see the Spaniard withdraw from other tournaments between now and the end of 2025.
It’s certainly worth remembering that he is still only 22 years old, and while he’s admirably very much living in the moment, it would be foolish not to have one eye on the long-term future.
Any overexertion now could have a serious impact on Alcaraz’s future goals, both physically and mentally.
And not only the player himself, but tennis fans will also be desperate to avoid such a scenario given how exciting it could be if Alcaraz and Sinner stay healthy throughout their careers.
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