Coach Samuel Lopez Wants Carlos Alcaraz to Control ‘Impulses’ After Miami Open Outburst: “Shouldn’t Be Normalized”

Carlos Alcaraz was so exhausted during his third-round match against Sebastian Korda at the Miami Open that he told his team, “I can’t take it anymore. I want to go home,” during the match. And this made headlines all over the world.

His coach, Samuel Lopez, said such bursts of emotion shouldn’t be normalized. Lopez, who joined Alcaraz’s team back in December 2024, wants him to learn to control his impulses so opponents don’t see his weaknesses.

Let’s see, I don’t think it should be normalized in the sense of just leaving it as it is. But I also don’t see it as anything surprising. He’s 22, and you have to make him understand that these kinds of comments have a lot of impact, especially outside the team. Internally, we knew how we arrived in Miami and what the situation was.

Samuel Lopez told Eurosport Spain

Alcaraz suffered a three-set defeat at the hands of Korda, and this marked his second consecutive early-round exit in Miami. This is also the second consecutive time since 2021 that Alcaraz failed to reach the final of the Sunshine Double event.

He has to try to control those impulses that he has: he has always had them, and less and less each time. He has to control them, especially for the opponent, both the player and the opposing team, not to show those weaknesses in certain moments. But beyond that, it’s a way of expressing himself and releasing some of the tension and fatigue that builds up. There’s no need to give it more importance.

Samuel Lopez added

All Alcaraz wanted after his Miami exit was to go home and have a proper rest, which he, as well as other top players, needed the most because the gruelling clay swing had already gotten underway. Alcaraz’s spot at the top of the rankings table is in danger because, thanks to his three titles and one more final on clay last year, he has 4,300 points to defend on the surface.

Last year, the seven-time Grand Slam champion clinched the Monte Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and the French Open, while at the Barcelona Open, he finished as the runner-up. Alcaraz has 13,590 points, while second-ranked Jannik Sinner, after completing the Sunshine Double, has 12,400.

Sinner doesn’t have any points to defend in The Principality, as he had skipped the event as well as the Madrid Open last year due to his doping ban.

Feliciano Lopez on whether he wants to see Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner final at the Madrid Open

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner did not face each other before the Italian Open, where the latter made his comeback after serving his three-month doping ban. They went on to face each other five more times, including three times in Grand Slam finals. But this year, they have yet to face each other.

After Monte Carlo, both will be playing the Madrid Open, which both players had skipped last year. Madrid Open director Feliciano Lopez, during his interview with Radiogaceta de los Deportes en Radio Nacional Espanola, said he would love to see a final between the World No.1 and the World No.2.

I mean, watching Sinner and Alcaraz play together is a real treat for any tennis fan. Last year, we had the bad luck of Carlitos getting injured in Barcelona playing the final against Rune, and Sinner was just finishing his suspension. Sinner started competing again right after Madrid; Rome was his first tournament. We’re really looking forward to welcoming them both.

The last time Sinner and Alcaraz faced each other was at the 2025 ATP Finals, where the 24-year-old registered a straight-set win to improve his head-to-head record to 6-11. Both players have so far won two titles this year (Alcaraz lifted the Australian Open and the Qatar Open).

Also read: Childhood Coach Calls Out Iga Swiatek’s Dad, Claims WTA Ace Could Fall Apart Because of Psychologist Daria Abramowicz

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