Carlos Alcaraz wants to earn as many points as possible during this segment of the season, in which he plays on his favorite surface. The former world No.1 had only shone at Roland Garros last year, because in the other red clay tournaments he had been significantly limited by a nagging forearm injury.
Because of that problem, the Spanish ace had to miss the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, Barcelona ATP 500 and Rome Masters 1000 in 2024, while his run at the Mutua Madrid Open was interrupted against Andrey Rublev also due to his precarious condition.
Alcaraz wants his third title in Barcelona
The 21-year-old from Murcia will make his return to Barcelona this year and will try to lift this trophy for the third time in his career (after triumphs in 2022 and 2023). In these hours, the draw of the prestigious tournament in Catalonia has been drawn and there is no shortage of pitfalls for the 4-time Grand Slam champion.
The current world number 3 will make his debut against a player from qualifying, before facing the winner of the match between Tomas Machac (who defeated him in Shanghai in autumn 2024) and Frances Tiafoe. Neither of these two players is a red clay specialist, but it is safe to say that the Czech ace would be more dangerous than the American right now.
If he were to overcome this hurdle, Carlitos would likely face Australian star Alex de Minaur (who has grown a lot on these courts in recent times).
His opponent in the semifinals could Stefanos Tsitsipas, but it cannot be ruled out that that slice of draw could reward Arthur Fils. The young French man is playing really brilliant tennis right now and put Alcaraz in serious trouble in Monte Carlo this week.
The Spaniard’s last opponent should be one of Casper Ruud, Lorenzo Musetti, Holger Rune or Andrey Rublev.
The champion from Murcia has had several ups and downs in the first segment of the 2025 season, but he hopes that his favorite surface will bring him many joys.
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