The mistake Carlos Alcaraz keeps making at the French Open which could prove costly in the second week

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Carlos Alcaraz has booked his place in the last 16 of the French Open for the fourth year in a row.

The Spanish star won his maiden Roland Garros title in 2024 when Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev in the final, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

Returning to defend his title one year later, Alcaraz began his campaign with a convincing straight-sets win over Giulio Zeppieri.

His next two wins weren’t nearly as convincing, however, as the ATP Tour’s world number two dropped sets against both Fabian Marozsan and Damir Dzumhur.

Alcaraz’s win over Dzumhur was particularly complicated, going down an early break in the fourth set to the Bosnian veteran.

As he now prepares for his fourth-round clash with Ben Shelton, Alcaraz may well be regretting the mistakes he’s made during the early stages of the tournament.

Carlos Alcaraz’s dips in concentration are keeping him on court longer than his rivals in Paris

It’s a testament to the class of the 22-year-old that whenever he loses a set, the discussion isn’t about his quality, but instead, his concentration.

Alcaraz’s lapses in concentration have cost him in some big matches over the years, and looked to have him in trouble once more against Dzumhur.

Leading by two sets to love, it seemed like the Spaniard had things wrapped up on Court Philippe Chatrier before things started to unravel.

His shot selection worsened, as did the intensity of those shots, allowing his Bosnian opponent to regain his footing in their third-round match.

Against the odds Dzumhur snatched the third set away from Alcaraz and went up an early break in the fourth.

However, as he often does, Alcaraz regained control, returning to the level he’d shown in sets one and two, breaking Dzumhur twice to seal the win, 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Crisis averted? Well, the priority was for Alcaraz to advance to the fourth round, so in that sense, yes.

He won’t be too happy with the time spent on court, though, as he quickly accumulates more hours and sets than the other big contenders for the French Open title.

Of the four players many consider to be favorites for the title, Alcaraz has played the most sets (3.7 per match).

He trails only Novak Djokovic for average time spent on court, by five minutes, after the Serb’s hard-fought three-set win over Corentin Moutet lasted over three hours.

The gaps may seem minimal at this stage of the tournament, but if the trend continues, Alcaraz could find himself with a real fitness deficit to his rivals during the latter stages of the event.

Alcaraz will be particularly wary of Jannik Sinner, the world number one, who has yet to drop a set at Roland Garros, spending just over two hours per match on court.

Entering the tournament as the top two seeds, Alcaraz and Sinner could face off in the final, having met in the last four of the 2024 French Open.

What happened when Carlos Alcaraz played Jannik Sinner at the 2024 French Open?

One year ago, both Sinner and Alcaraz stepped foot on Court Philippe Chatrier looking to advance to their maiden French Open finals.

It was the Italian who stormed into an early lead, taking the first set 6-2, before Alcaraz fought back, leveling the tie at 2-6, 6-3.

Sinner regained the momentum, leaving Alcaraz on the brink of a second successive semi-final defeat at Roland Garros.

Refusing to lose, Alcaraz stepped into another gear, winning the final two sets 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the final.

The win was Alcaraz’s first over Sinner on clay, adding a second to his record in Rome earlier this month.

Only time will tell if we will see Alcaraz and Sinner face off once more at the French Open in 2025, but it would certainly be worth tuning in for.

Neither player will want to get too far ahead of themselves, however, as Sinner gets set to take on Jiri Lehecka in the third round on Saturday, May 31, before Alcaraz battles Shelton in the fourth round on Sunday, June 1.