Rafael Nadal’s uncle and former coach, Toni Nadal, raised some valid concerns about Carlos Alcaraz’s future with current coach Samuel Lopez, as well as their decision on whether to skip future ATP tournaments to avoid overexhaustion in the season.
In an excerpt from Nadal’s exclusive interview on Radioestadio, Punto de Break’s director Jose Moron shared what the former coach had to say about Alcaraz.
“I saw him [Alcaraz] a little tired in Indian Wells. In some rallies, he seemed to get there just barely and with less strength than usual, and I thought, ‘Maybe he’ll skip some tournament.’ He’s also fighting for number one, so I don’t know what he and Samu López will decide,” Toni Nadal said.
Alcaraz suffered the first loss of his 2026 campaign against Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells semifinal on Saturday. With the loss, the Spaniard is now 16-1 for the season and has already claimed two titles in the season.
With World No. 2 Jannik Sinner winning the BNP Paribas Open, Alcaraz will be keen to get his hands on a Masters 1000 title for the season when he takes to the court next at the Miami Open. Alcaraz has a slightly tricky draw for the upcoming Masters 1000 event in Miami, which commences on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz Could Face the Surprising Brazilian Joao Fonseca in the Miami Open Opener
The Spaniard has received a bye in the first round of the Miami Open and could potentially kick-start his journey against a rising star, Joao Fonseca, who has been having a decent run in recent tournaments.
The Brazilian possesses the skill set to cause a major upset in a tournament, as he demonstrated at Indian Wells, making life difficult for Sinner in their round-of-16 match, which the Italian won in two competitive tiebreakers.
After Fonseca, Alcaraz’s path to the summit clash in Miami, FL, could pit him against potential opponents such as Sebastian Korda, Karen Khachanov, Taylor Fritz, Lorenzo Musetti, and, ultimately, Sinner.
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