Despite having already won a title this year in Rotterdam and reaching the SF in Indian Wells, Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit from the Miami Open invited a lot of criticism. The Spaniard, who was beaten by David Goffin in a three-set thriller in the R64, himself admitted later that it was a “very poor performance.” Although Alcaraz’s overall numbers in 2025 have been fairly decent, he has not been able to live up to the standards he set for himself with two GS triumphs last season. He was expected to step up and dominate the ATP circuit in Jannik Sinner’s absence, but the 21-year-old hasn’t done that yet. Because of Carlitos’ lack of consistency and Sinner’s suspension, the former World No. 9, Andrea Petkovic, recently stated that men’s tennis is in “existential crisis.” But is all this criticism a bit too harsh on Alcaraz?

In March 2024, Carlos Alcaraz said that despite performing well at the highest level, the criticism that he receives on social media takes a toll on him at times. “As I said many times, I’m a guy who sees a lot of the phone, and I see a lot of comments that people leave you. Most of them are really good ones, but a few of them are bad ones. It’s difficult to deal with it. That’s what I’m trying to do—stay away from everything, be myself, and enjoy every time that I step on the court,“ he said.

Fast forward twelve months, and the Spaniard yet again lands himself in a similar situation, with many fans being of the opinion that he should’ve won more tournaments or played better tennis this year. In an interview before the Monte Carlo Masters, Alcaraz responded to the recent criticism, saying, “Since I started the year, I have been playing great tennis. Tennis is not just about hitting the ball. It is about more than that. It is about mentality, the physical side. With my game, I am really happy about it. If I don’t win, it doesn’t matter if I play well or not. People are not thinking about the opponent, they are just thinking about me. If I lose, something is going on, people say. I don’t think that is fair. I am just happy and ready to play well on clay.” 

If we take a look at Alcaraz’s form this season, despite being labeled as “inconsistent,” Alcaraz still has a win-loss record of 15-4 in 2025. Highlighting that, he further added, “With my game, I am really happy about it. If I don’t win, it doesn’t matter if I play well or not. People are not thinking about the opponent, they are just thinking about me. If I lose, something is going on, people say. I don’t think that is fair. I am just happy and ready to play well on clay.”

Alcaraz believes the Tour has become increasingly competitive. “A lot of people might have said we should have played better tennis or won more tournaments, but I don’t think that is fair. I think the draw in every tournament is very open, and a lot of players are playing good tennis, and they deserve to be there,” he remarked.

Carlos Alcaraz has a win percentage of 78.9 this season, which is, in fac,t the second-best on the ATP Tour for all players with at least ten tour-level matches. Only Jack Draper is ahead of him with 81.3%. 

What could be the possible reason behind the sudden drop in Alcaraz’s performance level in Miami, though? Well, interestingly, Carlitos claimed that the pressure to reclaim the world number one spot from the suspended Jannik Sinner has had a negative impact on his form this season. “A lot of people are asking me, or are telling me, that I have the chance to become number one if Jannik is not playing. So probably that pressure has killed me in some way,” he revealed.

However, now that the clay court season has already arrived, it could well be a sigh of relief for the 21-year-old. Last year, he won the French Open, and in 2022 and 2023, he won the Madrid Masters. This year, he’ll kickstart his campaign on clay at the Monte Carlo Masters.

After being eliminated from this tournament in his very first match in 2022 and withdrawing from the last two editions, Alcaraz has yet to win a match in the Monte Carlo Masters. Can he turn his fortunes this time around? Time will tell!

But what do the other experts have to say about all the criticisms Alcaraz has been receiving lately, and what are his chances on the clay?

Amid several backlashes due to his inconsistency, Carlos Alcaraz receives support from Daniil Medvedev’s ex-coach

At the age of just 21, Carlitos has already set several records, including winning four Grand Slam titles, achieving the world number one ranking, and even winning five ATP Masters 1000 titles. However, despite all these heroics over the last few years, Alcaraz has been one of the most heavily criticized players on the men’s Tour. 

According to the French former pro Giles Simon, “The problem with this type of player is that they have a lot of attention, so in the end, every time we have big expectations for them. He won four Slams, and it’s crazy at his age. People are tough. It’s unbelievable what he has achieved already, and he will achieve much more than he did. Every time someone like him is losing, we make it a big deal, as he’s supposed to win everything. I don’t believe he’s this kind of person. He is a player where we know what he has in the racket, we know what he is able to do.”

Continuing further, Simon said, “Everybody in the end likes him, and when he’s not winning, we are disappointed and we put it on him – and I think it’s unfair.“

Recently, even Mats Wilander said that “inconsistent” Carlos Alcaraz can still “pull off miracles“ as he gears up to defend his title at the 2025 French Open. Serena Williams’ childhood coach, Rick Macci, also took a jibe at Alcaraz’s haters recently and claimed that barring injury, Alcaraz will have “DOUBLE DIGIT SLAMS and be near the top of the leaderboard every  year.” 

In his first match at the Monte Carlo Masters, Alcaraz will either take on the Italian wild card Fabio Fognini, a former champion at the event, or Francisco Cerundolo. Can he make a winning start?