Carlos Alcaraz Finds ‘This’ Player’s Game ‘Annoying’ Despite Perfect Head-to-Head Record

Carlos Alcaraz is chasing his first title at the Qatar Open and is set to meet Valentin Royer in the second round.

Carlos Alcaraz Finds ‘This’ Player’s Game ‘Annoying’ Despite Perfect Head-to-Head Record

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz defeated Arthur Rinderknech in the first round of the Qatar Open, improving his head-to-head record to 5-0.
  • Despite his perfect record, Alcaraz finds Rinderknech's game "annoying" due to its challenging nature.
  • Alcaraz is aiming for his ninth ATP 500 title after winning the Australian Open and becoming the youngest player to complete the Career Grand Slam.

Carlos Alcaraz is in Doha playing in the Qatar Open for the second time in his career. Last year, Jiri Lehecka stopped his progression in the quarterfinals.

In the ongoing ATP 500 event, the Spaniard knocked out Arthur Rinderknech in the first round. The match saw Alcaraz clinch a 6-4, 7-6(5) win to improve his head-to-head record to a perfect 5-0. In spite of this record, Alcaraz finds the Frenchman’s game “annoying”.

I think all our matches are always really tight. I’m going to say it’s just about the tennis. Every match that I played against him it was all about the tennis. So he has a really, I don’t know, I’m going to say an annoying game. Because, I mean, with the serve, trying to go all the time to the net.

Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference

Alcaraz will next be locking horns with Valentin Royer, who knocked out Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the previous round. Before the Qatar Open, Alcaraz clinched the Australian Open for the first time in his career, becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. He defeated 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets, registering his second consecutive Major win over the Serb.

He’s really big, you know, and then in the net he covered a lot of the court, so it’s really difficult when he comes to the net, making the passing shot. His ball is coming really flat, so sometimes really difficult to control the ball. There are a lot of things that make his game really difficult to play against and control the situation. So it feels like you got to run, you got to defend well if you want to have opportunities against him.

Carlos Alcaraz added

Alcaraz is chasing his ninth ATP 500 title. The last time he lifted a title at this level was at the 2025 Japan Open by going past America’s Taylor Fritz.

Patrick Mouratoglou explains why it’s important for Carlos Alcaraz to have fun while playing

Carlos Alcaraz has time and again said that the most important thing while on the tour is to have fun while playing. Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, on Instagram, reacted to a fan who said that Alcaraz seemed to be the only player who looked like he was having fun. Mouratoglou thinks that for Alcaraz, it’s very important to enjoy while playing, but claimed Jannik Sinner is not like him.

Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

I think you’re right, and I think it’s extremely key for him to have fun because it helps him be loose, relaxed, and creative. When he’s not having fun, he gets tight, he makes many more unforced errors, and is not as creative. So that’s a key, but not everyone is like this. Sinner is not someone who wants to have fun. He’s not here to have fun, he’s here to dominate and hit winners. He enjoys it, but he’s not having fun.

Sinner is also playing the Qatar Open. He knocked out Tomas Machac to schedule his second-round match against Alexei Popyrin. If Sinner and Alcaraz meet in the final, it will be their 17th clash on the tour. The four-time Grand Slam champion trails 6-10 in the head-to-head matchups.

They last met in the title clash of last year’s ATP Finals, where Sinner defended his crown with a straight-set win. Before entering Doha, the 24-year-old played the Australian Open but failed to defend his title, losing to Novak Djokovic in five sets in the last four. Another win would have made Sinner the second man in the Open Era to complete a three-peat at the Melbourne Slam.

Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Reacts to Potential Clash with Jannik Sinner in the Final of the Qatar Open