Carlos Alcaraz exited the Miami Open at an early stage for a second consecutive year at the 2026 event.
The world number one was defeated in the third round by Sebastian Korda at the ATP 1000 event, in one of the surprises of the whole tournament.
Alcaraz’s record at the Sunshine Double is a worry, with the star’s last title win at either event coming in 2024.
Following another early exit, Mark Petchey and Andrea Petkovic have cast doubt on Alcaraz’s chances of ever winning the Miami Open again.
Mark Petchey says Carlos Alcaraz might never win in Miami again
Speaking on TC Live, Petchey said he believed Alcaraz’s Miami Open exit was down to the sheer amount of tennis he has played so far in 2026.
“I think the tennis is quite difficult. I think we forget how young Carlos is and coming off doing the career slam, the youngest man to ever do that, to then go into the Middle East and play in Indian Wells, these tournaments are so long now that there is a long time for you to stay in the game.”
Alcaraz had already played 17 matches in three tournaments in Melbourne, Doha, and Indian Wells before he arrived in Miami.
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Petchey went one step further and even suggested the tennis calendar could make it impossible for Alcaraz to ever win in Miami again.
“Honestly, he has won here before Carlos, this may be the tournament that he never wins again because of the way the calendar is,” he added.
Also speaking on the show, Petkovic said there was a key reason why Alcaraz’s record was better at Indian Wells rather than in Miami.
“He will always be better at Indian Wells. His game suits Indian Wells better because the heavy forehand jumps and if he wins there or goes far, then he has to come here. That is why it’s so hard to win the Sunshine Double!”
Alcaraz has suffered back-to-back early defeats at the Miami Open now, following his second round defeat to David Goffin in 2025.
The decision Carlos Alcaraz clearly should have made at the start of the year
It’s understandable that the hectic ATP Tour schedule caught up with Alcaraz at the Miami Open, but there was a clear scheduling decision the Spaniard should have made to lighten the load.
Alcaraz’s decision to play the Qatar Open, which he ended up winning, looks like a mistake following his Miami exit.
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But, of course, it’s easy to understand why Alcaraz opted to slot the ATP 500 tournament into his busy schedule.
The world number one was paid a reported $1.2 million just to appear in Doha, which was topped up by his $2,833,335 prize for lifting the trophy.
Although it would be difficult to turn that sum of money down, perhaps it would have been beneficial for another long run at the Miami Open.
