Carlos Alcaraz is enjoying a resurgence after rediscovering his form at the Monte Carlo Masters, but he has revealed that he recently contemplated walking away from tennis.
The Spaniard returned to winning ways last week by defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final to claim his sixth Masters 1000 crown and the 18th singles title of his career.
However, just weeks earlier, Alcaraz faced a difficult spell following his triumph at the Rotterdam Open.
He exited in the quarter-finals of the Qatar Open and saw his title defence at Indian Wells end in the semi-finals. A loss to Jack Draper hit him hard, and things deteriorated further when David Goffin knocked him out in the second round of the Miami Open.
In a candid interview with Marca, Alcaraz opened up about the mental and emotional challenges he has faced in recent months.
“It’s a combination of everything. In Indian Wells, I thought I was playing well and was pretty calm off the court. The loss to Draper hurt me a lot. Then I got to Miami, and that loss to Goffin was the final straw,” he said.
“We had to stop, sit down, and see what was happening. That moment has helped me a lot. It’s from bad times that we learn the most. I’ve learned, above all, to focus on what’s important.
“There are many things we give importance to that maybe aren’t. I said what’s truly important to me in tennis, and I’m going to continue along those lines.”
When asked if Miami marked his lowest point, Alcaraz admitted, “More or less, yes, you could say that. It was tough for me to face the press; I didn’t even know what I was going to say. You could say so.”
The 21-year-old, who climbed back to World No. 2 after his Monte Carlo victory, revealed that he contemplated taking a break from the sport—but ultimately chose to grow from the setback instead.
“In the end, in these situations, you think about a lot of things, and when something that hurt you is so recent, you never really put it into perspective,” the four-time Grand Slam winner said.
“A lot of thoughts come to mind: stop, stop for a week, skip a tournament, stop for several months, keep training, take a vacation, and then train for what’s next…
“A lot of thoughts came to mind, and one of the best things I did was take a few days off and give myself the opportunity to think clearly and put things into perspective, and then decide from there.”
