Carlos Alcaraz lost in the third round of the Miami Open (Image: Getty)
There have been plenty of upsets at the Miami Open so far, with the likes of Iga Swiatek and Daniil Medvedev going out early. But arguably the biggest upset came on Sunday, when world No. 1 and 2022 champion Carlos Alcaraz lost to Sebastian Korda in the third round. Alcaraz started the year on a 16-match unbeaten streak, lifting trophies at the Australian Open and Qatar Open.
His run finally came to an end in Indian Wells, where Medvedev beat him in the semi-finals, and Alcaraz has now lost two of his last three matches following his shock defeat to Korda in Miami. And retired British ace Tim Henman believes it’s no coincidence that Alcaraz struggled during the second half of the ‘Sunshine Double’.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former world No. 4 said: “I think for me, listening to Alcaraz’s comments afterwards, it seemed like he had a dip in intensity. And that can be a reflection of the 12-day Masters 1000s, when you’re going back-to-back, you’ve got this Sunshine Double. I think with his personality, it’s difficult for him to maintain that focus, that concentration.”
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova agreed, explaining just how difficult it was to maintain the intensity across consecutive two-week tournaments. “I think that explains why it’s so difficult to do the Sunshine Double, because it’s weeks of intensity emotionally,” she replied.
“Maybe not physically, but emotionally. It takes it out of you. Generally, I got sick after the Majors, because for two weeks, you’re so intense. And here we have two back-to-back two-week tournaments; it just takes it out of you emotionally.”
Both pundits also questioned Alcaraz’s off-court habits. The seven-time Grand Slam champion has been known to get on the golf course during his days off. He also recharges with some quick holidays throughout the season, and Henman questioned whether he was “overstepping the mark”.
“It’s about really understanding what works for you. I think Alcaraz, he needs those distractions away from the court. That’s his personality. He’s very charismatic, he’s sort of flamboyant in everything he does, he’s massively gifted. He wants to be doing different things, it’s not just about his tennis,” he explained.
Tim Henman and Martina Navratilova believe it’s tough to maintain focus during the Sunshine Double (Image: Sky Sports)
“Perhaps it oversteps the mark sometimes. Has there been too much golf at some stage? I don’t know. It’s tough to argue when you see his results. Wimbledon, for example, it seemed like he was playing golf every other day. I think most normal human beings would say that is too much. You’ve got to reserve some energy for the tennis. Look, it hasn’t worked out in Miami for Alcaraz, but he’s such a great player, and he’ll be ready for the clay.”
Navratilova also believes that Alcaraz may benefit from some extra time off after his early Miami Open exit and doesn’t want him to overdo it during training. She added: “It’s always about fine-tuning. Tennis is about balance. You always try to adapt and adjust, see what works. And then it works for a while, and then it doesn’t. So again, you adapt and adjust. Maybe a little bit less golf and more feet up in the air, and watch TV or something.
“He gets an extra week off. That’s the advantage of losing early in a two-week event, you have the next week off as well. He would rather be playing, but I think he’s got a good plan. Less is more sometimes. Not just less golf, but maybe less working out.
“I don’t know what his routine is. I know I trained harder than I needed to. I just thought that was a good idea. Now, knowing what I know now, I would have done less. But I thought I was doing the right thing. I think his team, they have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.”
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