Carlos Alcaraz Highlights Reasons Why He Competes in Exhibition Tournaments Despite Schedule Criticism

Carlos Alcaraz will face Joao Fonseca at the Miami Invitational event on December 8.

Carlos Alcaraz Highlights Reasons Why He Competes in Exhibition Tournaments Despite Schedule Criticism

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

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Carlos Alcaraz has publicly defended his decision to compete in a number of exhibition tournaments in the United States of America, despite being among the most vocal critics of the tour schedule. The World No.1 will use the pre-season to prepare adequately for the upcoming 2026 season.

Alcaraz has become a popular character on the court and has immense quality and skills. He has consistently demonstrated that he’s one of the best players of his generation. That’s the reason why every exhibition organizer will want him to participate in their tournament as he attracts fans and tennis lovers.

However, the Spaniard has also been a huge critic of the tour schedule for the past two seasons. He and WTA star Iga Swiatek have often criticized the ATP and WTA for having a very jam-packed schedule that forces them to play week-in and week-out. Alcaraz has often complained that featuring in many tournaments leads to injuries and fatigue.

With the 2026 season commencing in a few weeks, Alcaraz is starting to get his preparation up for another competitive year as he will hope to reignite his mind-blowing rivalry with Jannik Sinner. The duo will meet in South Korea for an exhibition clash, but before that Alcaraz will play at the Miami Invitational exhibition event on December 8.

The 22-year-old will face sensational youngster Joao Fonseca at the LoanDepot Park in Miami. During an interview Associated Press ahead of the exhibition tournaments, he revealed that it is normal for people not to fully understand why he plays exhibition events and also complained about the hectic tour schedule:

First of all, it’s normal for people to think this way and not understand why we complain about the schedule when we then schedule Exhibitions. For me, the biggest difference is that in a tournament you have to maintain concentration, and it is demanding both physically and mentally. An exhibition is only one day. You just have to keep your focus, warm up, and train a little and only for one game.

Nonetheless, Alcaraz will feature in a two-day exhibition tournament, known as A Racquet At The Rock, which will be played at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, where he will face American star Frances Tiafoe. The exhibition tournaments will give him good preparation for the 2026 season.

Carlos Alcaraz says exhibition tournament gives him a chance to have fun on the court

This isn’t Carlos Alcaraz’s first exhibition event this year. He participated in the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, where each player picked $1.5 million for just competing. The champion of the event, Jannik Sinner, then took home a cool $6 million for his performance in Saudi Arabia. One thing that attracts players to compete in exhibitions is the prize money.

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

During the interview mentioned above, Alcaraz revealed that playing in exhibition tournaments also gives him the chance to have some fun, albeit he is going to take it seriously, replicating his tour tactics there, while aiming to come out on top:

An exhibition can be interpreted in different ways. You can do it just for fun, play good tennis, good blows and have fun. Or you can take it very seriously and use tactics and patterns to replicate them in tournaments. I will try to take these games seriously, but at the same time have as much fun as possible.

Alcaraz has won eight tournaments this season, including two Grand Slams. He finished the season as year-end World No.1, beating his arch-rival Sinner to claim the title in Turin during the ATP Finals. He won three ATP Masters 1000 titles this year, one in Monte Carlo, another in Rome, and the last in Cincinnati in the US.

Also Read: Musical Prodigy Jacob Collier Explains How He Ended Up Singing Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ with Novak Djokovic at Karaoke