Despite achieving the Grand Slam glory four times, Carlos Alcaraz’s Achilles’ heel remains exposed. Although he has dominated big stages, the Spaniard hasn’t quite stamped his authority in one crucial category, the ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Five early exits from such tournaments last year ensured he couldn’t close the gap on his biggest rival Jannik Sinner in the ATP rankings. However, it isn’t just about rankings anymore. It’s about consistency and Alcaraz’s long-time coach Juan Carlos Ferrero is concerned about it.

Alcaraz, who won two Grand Slam titles last year, failed to surpass the World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the rankings, because of his lack of consistency, especially in the Masters 1000 tournaments. His ATP Masters 1000 winning rate was 76.1% last year, the lowest among all the tournament categories that he participated in. The Spaniard suffered early exits in Miami Open, Madrid Open, Cincinnati Open, Shanghai Open, and Paris final Masters, all Masters 1000 tournaments.

Carlitos, at no point last season, went through a phase where it seemed like he was struggling with form, but he still couldn’t quite dominate the tour in a similar fashion that Jannik Sinner did. And the new season is again proving to be a bit of a mixed bag for the Spaniard. The 21-year-old had a quarterfinal exit at the Australian Open, losing against Novak Djokovic. But then days later, he claimed the Rotterdam title, dominating absolutely every opponent that came his way.

Alcaraz’s talent has never been in question, but his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero believes talent might not be the only requirement to dominate the sport. His words highlighted the missing element in Alcaraz’s game, one that he needs to focus on.

Reflecting on Alcaraz’s lack of consistency, Ferrero said in an interview with Marca, “At 21, there is always room for improvement. Carlos is a very talented player but it is obvious that he still has a lot to improve, mentally and in terms of consistency in matches. And that is what is good: we have a motivation and very clear objectives of which he is aware.” 

Alcaraz’s improvement is propelled by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero’s mentorship, who previously identified the Spaniard’s serve as his key focus for the 2025 season. “We are trying to tweak a bit on the serve, to give it more rhythm, make it smoother and more relaxed. Then, we’ll fine-tune small details, like the forehand, which we want to be more decisive in key moments. We need to enhance his DNA and address his weaknesses,” Ferrero said back in December.

Ferrero also emphasized on the mental side of the game, stating,” “His ups and downs on the court are something we need to work on, Often, they stem from mental factors like motivation and freshness. Our goal is to ensure he brings his best tennis to every event.”

Alcaraz might have struggled for consistency over the last few months, but Ferrero highlighted his dedication and professionalism. “Carlos is very aware of what he needs to improve each year. I see him maturing and approaching things with more thought,” the coach concluded.

Carlos Alcaraz went into the Australian Open as one of the favorites to win the title, but an injured Novak Djokovic ended his campaign in the quarters and that left Ferrero gutted.

Juan Carlos Ferrero believed they “could go further” in Melbourne with Alcaraz’s potential

“It was a bit of a disappointment for everyone. Many players would have signed up for the quarter-finals, but with Carlos’ potential, we always thought we could go further. The victory in Rotterdam was a shot of motivation and confidence for what was coming soon. We are happy for the moment,” said Ferrero while addressing Alcaraz’s defeat against Djokovic in Melbourne.

Ferrero was not there to watch Alcaraz lift the trophy in Rotterdam, but he was delighted with the result and shared Alcaraz’s photo with the trophy on his Instagram story. “Vamos” he captioned it. On the flip side, when Alcaraz was asked about his coach’s absence in Rotterdam, he praised Samuel Lopez, whom he re-hired to work with Ferrero. “Well, it doesn’t matter, honestly. I love being with Juan Carlos, but I just hired a really good coach like Samu, who I trust 100%,” the World No. 3 said.

Alcaraz’s victory in Rotterdam was a proud moment for Ferrero as the Spaniard surpassed his record of 16 career titles. It was Samuel Lopez who informed Alcaraz about this milestone. “After the final, we shared this title with him and reminded him that he has already surpassed him in titles, in addition to having won here, where Juan Carlos lost the final to Hewitt,” Lopez said to Eurosport.

Carlos Alcaraz’s victory in Rotterdam was his first title on the indoor hard courts. Will that provide him the much-needed momentum to dominate the tour for the rest of the season? What do you think?