"I want to take revenge" - Carlos Alcaraz issues word of caution to Rotterdam 1R opponent despite Dutch home advantage

Carlos Alcaraz recently revealed his intent on payback against Botic van de Zandschulp in the pair's upcoming first-round clash at the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam. While the Spaniard has the edge over the Dutchman in their ATP Tour-level head-to-head, their latest meeting at the 2024 US Open surprisingly went the latter's way.

The 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam will mark Carlos Alcaraz's debut at the ATP 500 event. Ahead of his first-round match against Botic van de Zandschulp, the Spaniard was asked about his feelings on facing the Dutchman again, particularly after his 2024 US Open humbling. The former World No. 1 answered:

"Yeah, I mean he's a really top player. I played against him a few times already. The last time, I lost against him in straight sets. So I want to take revenge."

Carlos Alcaraz also assessed the probable atmosphere at the Rotterdam Ahoy complex when he takes on home hope Botic van de Zandschulp on Tuesday, February 4.

"I'm going to play him in his home, with his home crowd. I'll try to enjoy my first match here in Rotterdam, see how it's going to be. The crowd will probably be against me, but I'll just try to enjoy and do my best," Alcaraz added.

At the 2024 US Open, Alcaraz faced van de Zandschulp in the second round. The Spaniard was the No. 3 seed at the hardcourt Major and was the favorite on paper to win against the unseeded Dutchman. Astonishingly though, van de Zandschulp's exceptional performance on the day, coupled with an uncharacteristically poor display from Alcaraz, led to the Dutchman winning 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.

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Carlos Alcaraz put his shock US Open 2024 exit down to fatigue

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open (Source: Getty)

At his post-match press conference following his second-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp at the 2024 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz said that he wasn't at his freshest at Flushing Meadows because of the hectic tennis calendar. According to the Spaniard, this affected his performance against the Dutchman.

"The tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately. With Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics.. I took a little break after Olympics. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough. I came here without as much energy as I thought I was going to come with," Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz started his 2025 season at the Australian Open, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Novak Djokovic.