“I’ve lost a lot of matches here, in the first rounds, and I’m not used to losing in the first rounds,” he added. “Truly painful losses. So I’m really happy.”
He said the same in Spanish. “The furthest I’ve gone was the quarterfinals without feeling at my level when I came in,” Alcaraz said. “This year is a really good opportunity.”
Prior to this week, his record in Paris was 5-5. In his debut in 2021, ranked 35th, he beat Yannick Sinner before losing to Hugo Gaston in the third round. A year later, as world No. 1, he retired against Holger Rohn in the quarterfinals. Then there were three early exits: in his opening match against Roman Safiulin in 2023, in the third round against Hugo Humbert in 2024 and in his opening match against Cameron Norrie in 2025. This year he beat Alex Michelsen, got away from Matteo Berretini, then beat Taylor Fritz and Taylor Fritz.
Carlos Alcaraz at the Rolex Paris Masters, a stage reached year after year
| 1R: | 2R: | 3R: | QF: | SF: | F: | V: | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | L. Gaston 4-6, 6-7 | |||||||
| 2022 | correct. v Runes 3-6, 6-6 | |||||||
| in 2023 | l. Safiuli 3-6, 4-6 | |||||||
| 2024 | l. Humbert 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 | |||||||
| 2025 | l. Nori 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 | |||||||
| 2026 | v Shelton, Sunday |
Each square is one circle from the first circle (1R) to the title (W). Starting in 2022, Alcaraz had a first-round bye. Source: ATP.
Alcaraz. “Psychologically, it is one of the main reasons.”
After saving two points against Taylor Fritz on Friday, Alcaraz said he had to find out why he plays so nervous. He didn’t face a single break point against Roode and he appreciates his mental state.
“I’ve been playing great tennis this week, but mostly mentally,” he said. “I’m going to say it again, and I realized it more this week. the mental side is one of the main reasons that makes you play your best.”
He wants to keep that mindset for the final against Ben Shelton. “Tomorrow I will step on the court and try to enjoy every second there,” he said. “It will be a really good day for me.”