Carlos Alcaraz Won’t Mind Playing Australian Open Quarterfinals Under Closed Roof Due to Extreme Heat
Carlos Alcaraz will be hoping to reach the semifinals in the Major Down Under for the first time in his career.
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Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)
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Carlos Alcaraz has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the third consecutive time. On Sunday (January 25), the Spaniard knocked out America’s Tommy Paul in straight sets to schedule his next match against home favorite Alex de Minaur.
The match against de Minaur is scheduled to be held on Tuesday (January 27). On that day, the temperature in Melbourne couldeach as high as 43 degrees Celcius. If the Heat Stress Scale reaches 5, the umpires will be closing the roof of the Rod Laver Arena. At the press conference after his fourth-round win, Alcaraz said he won’t mind playing under the closed roof.
You gotta get used to everything. I have to control the things that I can control. If it’s gonna be really, really hot on Tuesday and the roof is gonna be closed, I have to accept that and just try to play my best tennis indoors. Whatever it is, I’ll be ready, I’ll be focused, I’ll try not to think about it, I’ll try not to affect my game at all. That’s it. That’s gonna be my mindset. I think we gotta show our best tennis in every condition.
Alcaraz has never progressed beyond the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park. In the previous two editions, he lost to Alexander Zverev (2024) and to Novak Djokovic last year. If the Spaniard wins this Major, the 22-year-old will become the youngest man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam, surpassing his idol, Rafael Nadal.
Carlos Alcaraz on Jannik Sinner’s match suspension due to heat
Jannik Sinner lost the first set against third-round opponent, an unseeded Eliot Spizzirri. After ending the second set in his favor when Sinner was trailing 1-3 in the third set, he started to limp due to cramps. At that exact moment, the officials decided to halt the match to close the roof of the Rod Laver Arena as the Heat Stress Scale hit 5.
Sinner later said he was “lucky” for the much-needed break during which he tried to loosen up his muscles, denying receiving any treatment. The entire thing sparked controversy as a section of the tennis community accused the Australian Open of favoring the two-time defending champion. Carlos Alcaraz was one of the watchers of the game, and following his fourth-round win, he gave his take on Sinner’s match.
Obviously, I watched Jannik’s match, since I like watching him. I followed what was happening. And well, those are situations where you have to push through; they are very complicated situations. When you’re dealing with the heat or things external to the game itself, sometimes it gets much more difficult. But once again, Jannik showed what a champion he is, what a great player, and how good he is at coming out of those situations so unscathed, so to speak.
Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference
Sinner is also chasing history at Melbourne Park. If he wins, he will become the second man after Novak Djokovic to win three consecutive titles in the tournament. Sinner and Alcaraz will only meet if they both progress to the final.
In the previous two seasons, the four-time Grand Slam champion beat Daniil Medvedev (2024) and Alexander Zverev (2025) in the finals. Last year, Alcaraz and Sinner met three times in Grand Slam finals. The six-time Grand Slam champion clinched the win at the French Open and the US Open, while the World No.2 denied him the three-peat at Wimbledon.
Sinner, in the fourth round, will face Luciano Darderi, who eliminated Karen Khachanov in the previous round. They will face each other for the first time in their career.
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