Tennis star Carlos Alcaraz may have just won the Monte Carlo Masters, but not long ago, he was seriously thinking about stepping away from the game.
The 21-year-old, who’s already won four Grand Slams and 18 career titles, opened up in a recent interview about hitting a low point after some tough losses earlier this year.
After winning the Rotterdam Open, things took a downward turn. He lost in the Qatar Open quarter-finals, then got knocked out in the Indian Wells semi-finals by Jack Draper—a defeat that really got to him.
But it was his early exit at the Miami Open, losing in the second round to David Goffin, that pushed him to the edge.
“The loss to Draper hurt a lot,” Alcaraz told Marca. “Then in Miami, the loss to Goffin was the final straw. I had to stop and ask myself what was going on.”
That moment forced him to take a step back and reflect—not just on his game, but on his priorities.
“I’ve learned to focus on what really matters. We often give importance to things that don’t deserve it,” he said. “I thought about stopping… maybe for a week, skipping tournaments… even taking several months off.”
He said it was one of the hardest periods of his career, even admitting he didn’t know what to say in post-match interviews.
But instead of quitting, he took a short break, cleared his head, and returned with a fresh mindset. That reset paid off—he came back strong to win Monte Carlo, reclaiming the World No. 2 spot in the process.
“One of the best things I did was take a few days off and think clearly. I needed to gain perspective.”
Now, with his confidence back, Alcaraz is once again one of the top contenders heading into the clay season.
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