Carlos Alcaraz, the 22-year-old Spanish tennis sensation, is charging through the 2025 French Open as the defending champion, but his path to a second consecutive Roland Garros title is proving to be anything but smooth. Fresh off a commanding 6-1, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur in the third round on May 30, 2025, Alcaraz has advanced to the last 16, but not without raising concerns. Tennis legend Mats Wilander, a three-time French Open champion, has cautioned that Alcaraz is repeating a costly mistake from 2024: expending too much energy early in the tournament, a misstep that could jeopardize his chances as the competition intensifies.
Alcaraz’s third-round match against Dzumhur, played under the lights on Court Philippe-Chatrier, was a rollercoaster. The world No. 2 surged to a two-set lead with clinical precision, reeling off five straight games in the opener and capitalizing on Dzumhur’s double fault to secure a 6-3 second set. However, the third set saw Alcaraz’s focus waver as errors crept in and Dzumhur, emboldened after receiving treatment for a knee injury, fought back to claim it 6-4. “This is the Carlos Alcaraz that we are not really sure about,” Wilander observed. “He pops up sometimes. He doesn’t know how to get out of it, it seems. Even though in the end he is going to win these matches.” Alcaraz regained control in the fourth, winning four consecutive games, but was broken while serving for the match before breaking Dzumhur again to seal the victory. “I didn’t enjoy it too much,” Alcaraz admitted post-match. “I suffered quite a lot, but I’m happy to have played a good match with Damir. That’s why it’s difficult to win Grand Slams because you have to maintain your focus over three or four hours.”
This pattern of dropping sets early in tournaments is a familiar one for Alcaraz. In 2024, he dropped five sets en route to his French Open and Wimbledon titles, including two sets to one against Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev at Roland Garros. Wilander noted that this energy-draining tendency could prove critical as Alcaraz faces tougher opponents in the later rounds. “We saw it last year. It sort of happened,” Wilander said, recalling Alcaraz’s battles against Sinner and Zverev, where he rallied from deficits to win. This year, Alcaraz has already dropped two sets in his first three matches, including one in his 6-1, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Fabian Marozsan in the second round. His first-round victory over Giulio Zeppieri was a straight-sets affair, but at 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, it still demanded adaptation to the clay. “The first round for every tournament is never easy to adapt your game to the conditions,” Alcaraz said, expressing pride in his solid start despite initial doubts.
Alcaraz’s 2025 clay season has been stellar, with titles in Monte Carlo and Rome and a runner-up finish to Holger Rune in Barcelona, giving him a 27-2 record on the surface since May 2024. Yet, his history of physical and mental struggles looms large. In 2023, cramps derailed him in a semifinal loss to Novak Djokovic at Roland Garros, a match where stress and intense sprinting—covering an estimated 3,000 meters—took a toll. “I started to cramp every part of my body, not only the legs,” Alcaraz reflected at the time. This year, a hamstring and groin injury sustained in Barcelona forced him to withdraw from Madrid, though he arrived in Paris confident after his Italian Open triumph over Sinner. “I have a lot of confidence, but the most important thing for me is that I’m feeling great mentally,” he said, emphasizing his focus on staying fresh.
As Alcaraz prepares to face American Ben Shelton in the fourth round, the stakes are high. Shelton’s aggressive style and newfound clay-court confidence make him a dangerous opponent. Alcaraz’s ability to manage his energy and maintain focus will be critical to avoid a repeat of last year’s taxing run. “I know that when I’m playing a fifth set, you have to give everything and you have to give your heart,” he said after his 2024 final win over Zverev, a mindset he’ll need to harness again. With a 19-3 career record at Roland Garros and a chance to become the first man since Rafael Nadal in 2020 to retain the title, Alcaraz’s challenge is clear: channel his brilliance efficiently or risk burning out before the Coupe des Mousquetaires is within reach.
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