4 key takeaways from Carlos Alcaraz's first title of 2025 at Rotterdam

Carlos Alcaraz opened the 2025 season with a disappointment. Many expected the Spaniard to have a really good run at the Australian Open, possibly go all the way or at the very least challenge Jannik Sinner for the trophy.

None of that happened, as he once again proved to be rather uncomfortable down under, losing to Novak Djokovic in the quarter-final. It was a bizarre match, one where Alcaraz seemingly demonstrated an inability to outplay Djokovic, who was not only injured but also not playing that great.

Once Djokovic smelled blood, he went in for the kill by playing some spectacular tennis to win the match. Alcaraz mocked Djokovic’s injury at one point, showing a new high when it comes to his frustration. So what did he show us in Rotterdam this past week?

A shift in approach for Alcaraz

2025 Australian Open - Day 9 - Source: Getty

The mere fact that Alcaraz opted to play in Rotterdam is a big deviation from how he usually did things. It was the first time he played in Rotterdam, and for obvious reasons. While it is a relatively slow court which Alcaraz enjoys, it’s also an indoor event, which hasn’t been the best condition for him so far in his career.

Alcaraz's participation in Rotterdam does show a shift in approach or intention. He’s not going to go to South America and play on clay like he usually did. He will play in Doha after Rotterdam, so two hard court events, and it makes sense. What the Australian Open event showed is that Alcaraz still can and does have issues with Novak Djokovic on hard courts.

By extension, he has problems with Jannik Sinner on hard courts as well. He has to play more on those surfaces so he can narrow the gap between himself and the others, and we’re seeing that play out in real-time. If that wasn’t the case, he would have simply gone to South America as he usually does, but he didn’t because he realized that what he’s been doing has not been working.

He’s still good

Another very obvious takeaway from this week is that Alcaraz is still a very good tennis player. There have been some instances that have raised the alarm, especially after he failed to impose himself in the Djokovic match, but all of that was premature. For all his legendary achievements so far, Alcaraz is still a relatively young tennis player.

He has plenty more years ahead of himself and plenty more time to improve and learn from his mistakes. Plus, he can’t be good all the time. The Australian Open was a disappointment, but this week in Rotterdam was a pretty good statement.

He didn’t face the best players in the world, but he still went to an event as the favorite and top seed and took care of business by winning it. The final opponent was a fellow Top 10 player who both enjoys indoor tennis and has played in the Rotterdam final before.

And yet, with all of that, Alcaraz still won. He also overcame a cold that has been bothering him throughout the week, which adds a bit more gravitas to his undertaking. Bottom line is, he is still one of the best tennis players in the world.

Slow hard courts are truly his bread and butter

Another takeaway from the final is that he truly enjoys playing on slow hard courts. He doesn’t exclusively play well on them, but there is a noticeable trend in his performance on courts like these. He’s been a spectacular player in Indian Wells so far in his career. Why? Slow hard court.

He won the China Open last year by beating Jannik Sinner in the final. Why? Slow hard court. He won Rotterdam this week despite it being an indoor event. Why? Slow hard court. The reason why he thrives in slow hard courts is because it plays to his strengths.

He’s very quick and can defend supremely well, which is further bolstered by a slow hard court, as hitting winners is quite tough. He also gets slower balls back, which allows him more time to set up and unleash when he wants to.

It basically proves to be a great equalizer in the matchups, forcing players to beat him from the baseline, which very few can do. Even Jannik Sinner needs the right situation to beat Alcaraz in such conditions, so most other players almost stand no chance.

Doha, Indian Wells, and Miami will show where he stands

The final takeaway from this final is that these three events will largely show where Alcaraz stands in the pecking order. Winning Rotterdam was a very good way of bouncing back after that Australian Open disappointment. It’s going to do wonders for his confidence, but these other events are going to be massive as well.

Doha plays pretty fast compared to the average hard court, and that’s going to be a challenge for Alcaraz. He can do well in those conditions, highlighted by his US Open win a couple of years ago, but he generally favors conditions a bit slower. How he does at that event could dictate how the Sunshine Double goes.

It’s especially so because both Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are playing at that event as well. He very likely will face at least one of those, and that match will tell us a lot. Then there is the Indian Wells Masters.

It’s a sort of comfort blanket for him, as he’s done tremendously well whenever he went there. If he bombs that event, then some alarms will creep up again. If he expectedly plays really well at that event, then he will get even more confidence, which could push him to an even better level.

How he does against his fierce rivals on those courts could also impact his overall state. Then there is the Miami Open. There is always a chance that he doesn’t play the Miami Open if he has a really good run in Indian Wells because the Monte-Carlo Masters is around the corner as well.

Perhaps he would enjoy preparing well for that event instead of playing a Miami event, which in the past has been good to him (won it once) but lately not so much. It’s also one of the fastest courts, so maybe he just skips it entirely. Takes a slow hard court to slow clay court transition.

Time will tell, but these three events will tell us more about how Alcaraz is feeling internationally as well as where his tennis stands in general and compared to his rivals. It could very well dictate how things go for him in the weeks that come after, because the clay season is where he hopes to do a lot of damage, and not to forget, he is the defending champion of the French Open.

So there you have it, these are the main takeaways from a very successful week for Alcaraz in Rotterdam. Lots of positives, but some doubts will remain, especially if he comes up short the next time he faces one of Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic.