Justine Henin explains what’s putting ‘enormous pressure’ on Carlos Alcaraz’s shoulders amid inconsistent form

Carlos Alcaraz ended his Sunshine Double campaign after a three-set defeat to Davis Goffin at the Miami Open.

Justine Henin explains what’s putting ‘enormous pressure’ on Carlos Alcaraz’s shoulders amid inconsistent form

Carlos Alcaraz, Justine Henin (Image via Ht Parool, Carlos Alcaraz's X account)

Carlos Alcaraz recently got knocked out of the Miami Open. He arrived in the tournament after failing to claim three consecutive titles at Indian Wells.

In his first match at Miami Gardens, Alcaraz succumbed to a three-set defeat to veteran David Goffin. While it’s easy to criticize Alcaraz for his inconsistent performances, his achievements often make one forget that the four-time Grand Slam champion is just 21. Justine Henin thinks Alcaraz currently is going “through phases of reflection“.

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He’s a 21-year-old player who has won four Grand Slams but still has so much to learn to get through more difficult times. Since he arrived on the tour, what have people been saying about Carlos Alcaraz? ‘It’s extraordinary what he offers us in terms of tennis, it’s completely crazy, we love watching him play, he’s the player we most like to see evolve.’

Justine Henin said on Eurosport’s Retour Gagnant

Alcaraz has won one title so far this year. Following his quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open, the Spaniard beat Alex de Minaur to claim his career’s first indoor hard-court trophy at the Rotterdam Open. He then made it to the quarterfinals in the Qatar Open before losing at Indian Wells.

And he knows all of this, he hears it because we hear everything anyway, they can no longer be protected from that and it puts enormous pressure on his shoulders.

Justine Henin added

Carlos Alcaraz could have become World No.2 if he had won the Miami Open

Carlos Alcaraz will remain a World No.3 player after the conclusion of the Miami Open. Had he reached the final and claimed the title, he would have toppled Alexander Zverev from the second position.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via ATP/X)

Alcaraz has 6,720 points in the ATP Live Rankings, while Zverev sits in the second spot with 7,645 points. Even if the German takes home his first title since the 2024 Paris Masters, he won’t be able to dethrone Jannik Sinner from the top.

Sinner is the defending champion but he is not playing due to the three-month suspension he received from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). He lost 1000 ranking points because of not participating in Miami and sits on the top with 10,330 points.

It’s going to be tough for both Alcaraz and Zverev to remove the Italian from the top of the rankings table as both of them are not playing consistent tennis. Zverev, after losing the Australian Open final to the 23-year-old, had mediocre campaigns in the Golden Swing and at Indian Wells too, he was knocked out of his opening round. He will play Arthur Fils for a spot in the quarterfinals at the Miami Open.

Carlos Alcaraz reflects on Miami Open defeat

Carlos Alcaraz registered a defeat against a player outside of the top 30 for the first time this season when he lost to David Goffin. The Belgian has improved his head-to-head record to 2-1 against the 2022 Miami Open champion. After the match, the Murcia native made no excuses for his defeat.

Carlos Alcaraz (5)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Tennis Panorama News)

It was a poor level from me. I just wanted to play better. After the first set, I thought I was going to be better. He played well, he played good tennis. My level didn’t increase. I think his level after the first set increased a little bit.

Carlos Alcaraz said at the press conference

Alcaraz, who has won 17 ATP career titles so far, is 15-4 this season. Last year, he won four ATP titles, including the French Open and Wimbledon, and also took home the Olympic silver medal. He will next be gearing up for the clay season.