Carlos Alcaraz Warned He’s Still ‘Lacking Consistency a Lot’ After Japan Open Win

The lingering concern often raised about Carlos Alcaraz is his consistency. He is creative and unpredictable, and is not afraid of taking risks.

But he struggles to maintain consistency as his level fluctuates a lot, which even he has admitted. At the Japan Open, Alcaraz, on his consistency, said, “I can play really well and the next game I can play really bad.” He hopes to get back to playing good tennis with consistency, which he believes was the reason behind a successful 2025 season.

While talking about Alcaraz’s consistency issue on Instagram, Serena Williams‘ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, also highlighted Alcaraz’s greatest quality, that is, his ability to eke out wins in spite of playing badly.

We all have this image of Alcaraz playing incredible tennis, but I think his greatest quality is being able to win when he plays badly. And that’s exactly what he did last week. He makes a lot of unforced errors. The power is there, everything is there to hit the ball with power, but he’s lacking consistency a lot. He played well enough to win, and he found ways to win.

Patrick Mouratoglou said on Instagram

Alcaraz clinched the Japan Open by defeating Jiri Lehecka in the final, winning his first title since recovering from the wrist injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open. It was also his second singles tournament after his return following the US Open, where he lost a five-set thriller to eventual runner-up Ben Shelton.

If the question was, is his wrist 100%? I think the answer is yes. If the question was, is he still into tennis? The answer is yes, because he didn’t play great and he won. If the question is, is he back? The answer is yes, he’s back.

Patrick Mouratoglou added

At present, Alcaraz is in Shanghai, chasing his first Masters 1000 of the season. He kicked off his campaign with a straight-set win over Juan Manuel Cerundolo to schedule his next match against Zizou Bergs.

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Carlos Alcaraz on his new look

Thanks to a bet, Carlos Alcaraz and his entire team are sporting moustaches. With his thick, long, flowing hair, Alcaraz is enjoying experimenting with different looks. He believes his confidence soars when he feels comfortable and good in the outfits he wears.

If you feel good with what you’re wearing, with the outfit and style, I think it’s much better. The confidence is pretty high, and you feel better when you step on the court. Right now I’m just, yeah, I’m changing a little bit, and trying to decide the outfit I’m going to wear on court, which I’m just really happy about them. I’m feeling really comfortable and confident with them.

Carlos Alcaraz said after the match (H/T: Tennis365)

Alcaraz is chasing his fourth title of the season in Shanghai, following the Australian Open, Qatar Open, and the Japan Open. The seven-time Grand Slam champion last won a Masters 1000 title at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters after receiving a walkover from World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

This season, he has played one final at this level, at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which he lost to Sinner in straight sets. Alcaraz ended up losing his No.1 ranking to the five-time Grand Slam champion after this defeat.

Sinner is not in Shanghai as he is dealing with a knee injury and has ended his season. He is set to lose his No.1 ranking to Alexander Zverev, who broke the Sinner-Alcaraz duopoly in Majors by clinching the French Open with a five-set win over Flavio Cobolli. Sascha doubled his Grand Slam title by defeating Ben Shelton in the US Open final.

Also read: Iga Swiatek Rates Her Chances of Qualifying for WTA Finals After China Open Upset