Carlos Alcaraz lost to Sebastian Korda in the third round of the Miami Open.
A few weeks earlier, Alcaraz lost to Medvedev in the Indian Wells semifinals.
For the second year in a row, Alcaraz failed to win either ‘Sunshine Double’ tournament.
Will Joao Fonseca be the man to break up Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance?
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During the latest episode of ‘Nothing Major‘, Steve Johnson shared his theory on Alcaraz’s struggles in California and Miami.
Steve Johnson thinks there may be ‘too many extracurriculars’ for Carlos Alcaraz in America
Johnson delivered his verdict on Alcaraz’s performances at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.
“[Carlos] Alcaraz did not seem like himself yesterday,” said Johnson.
“This is kind of strange because last year he had the same hiccup for him in the Sunshine Double.
Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 and 2026 Sunshine Double
- 2025 Indian Wells – Lost in SF to Jack Draper
- 2025 Miami Open – Lost in 2R to David Goffin
- 2026 Indian Wells – Lost in SF to Daniil Medvedev
- 2026 Miami Open – Lost in 3R to Sebastian Korda
“He did not play well at either Indian Wells or Miami, and then he kind of does the same this year.
“So maybe there are too many extracurriculars for Carlos off the court.
“I don’t know… just during Indian Wells and Miami, I know he was playing golf every day.
“I love the fact he was playing golf every day, but it’s a long stretch these couple of weeks.
“There is a lot to do.”
Johnson also questions whether Alcaraz lost motivation after winning the Australian Open.
“He accomplished something at the Australian Open this year that nobody has done at his age, so now he has to find a way to rekindle that fire,” he said.
- FACT – Carlos Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open (22 yrs, 272 days)
“Maybe something to look forward to because that was a huge milestone for him, and maybe he has lost the slightest little edge, maybe a percentage point here or there, for these small events.
“For him, there is nothing to panic about, but he just has to find something to go out there and find the joy and compete again because it’s not the best Sunshine Double.”
Alcaraz was unbeaten in 2026 before the Sunshine Double began, winning titles in Australia and Qatar.
He’s now lost two of his last three matches, failing to pick up titles in California and Miami.
However, as Johnson rightly mentioned, there is no need for Alcaraz to panic.
Despite his disappointing Sunshine Double, Alcaraz has still picked up more points than anyone else in men’s tennis this year.
Live ATP Race
| Rank | Name | Country | Points |
| 1 | Carlos Alcaraz | Spain | 2,950 |
| 2 | Jannik Sinner | Italy | 2,000 |
| 3 | Daniil Medvedev | Russia | 1,700 |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | Serbia | 1,400 |
| 5 | Alexander Zverev | Germany | 1,390 |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur | Australia | 1,045 |
| 7 | Ben Shelton | USA | 1,010 |
| 8 | Felix Auger-Aliassime | Canada | 965 |
| 9 | Jakub Mensik | Czechia | 895 |
| 10 | Tomas Martin Etcheverry | Argentina | 835 |
As long as this ‘slump’ doesn’t continue into the clay-court season, Alcaraz will be just fine.
Carlos Alcaraz only lost one match on clay last year
Alcaraz was dominant on the red stuff in 2025.
The Spaniard won 22 of the 23 matches he played on clay.
Carlos Alcaraz’s clay-court record in 2025
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters 2R [WIN] vs Francisco Cerundolo
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters 3R [WIN] vs Daniel Altmaier
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters QF [WIN] vs Arthur Fils
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters SF [WIN] vs Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
- 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters F [WIN] vs Lorenzo Musetti
- 2025 Barcelona Open 1R [WIN] vs Ethan Quinn
- 2025 Barcelona Open 2R [WIN] vs Laslo Djere
- 2025 Barcelona Open QF [WIN] vs Alex de Minaur
- 2025 Barcelona Open SF [WIN] vs Arthur Fils
- 2025 Barcelona Open F [LOSS] vs Holger Rune
- 2025 Italian Open 2R [WIN] vs Dusan Lajovic
- 2025 Italian Open 3R [WIN] vs Laslo Djere
- 2025 Italian Open 4R [WIN] vs Karen Khachanov
- 2025 Italian Open QF [WIN] vs Jack Draper
- 2025 Italian Open SF [WIN] vs Lorenzo Musetti
- 2025 Italian Open F [WIN] vs Jannik Sinner
- 2025 French Open 1R [WIN] vs Giulio Zeppieri
- 2025 French Open 2R [WIN] vs Fabian Marozsan
- 2025 French Open 3R [WIN] vs Damir Dzumhur
- 2025 French Open 4R [WIN] vs Ben Shelton
- 2025 French Open QF [WIN] vs Tommy Paul
- 2025 French Open SF [WIN] vs Lorenzo Musetti
- 2025 French Open F [WIN] vs Jannik Sinner
He only lost one match, against Holger Rune in Barcelona, where he was struggling with an injury.
Only time will tell if he can go one better and finish his 2026 clay season unbeaten…
Alcaraz will begin his clay-court season at the Monte-Carlo Masters, which starts on Monday, April 6.
