ANALYSIS: The keys to Carlos Alcaraz's failure at the Miami Open 2025

Carlos Alcaraz has completed a remarkably disappointing first third of the 2025 season. He fell in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, managed to win the ABN AMRO Open Rotterdam, but since then has only suffered setbacks. It all started at the Qatar Open against Jiri Lehecka, before falling at the first two Masters 1000s of the year earlier than expected.

In Indian Wells he reached the semifinals, losing against the future champion Jack Draper. But in the Miami Open has been the straw that has broken the camel's back. The player from Murcia has fallen in his debut in the tournament against a player like David Goffin. The Belgian reached the Top 10 and was runner-up in the ATP Finals, but his game is much less adapted to today's tennis than that of Carlos Alcaraz.

However, this is not what was seen in the match between them. Carlitos said before the start of the year that he would like to be a more consistent player and he is far from achieving that. He continues to have jumps of concentration in too many important moments of the matches. He played his second round at night, with conditions that probably benefited him less than during the day.

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But that is no excuse for losing against the world number 55 and less after winning the first set. Already in the opening set he found himself down on the scoreboard. He had to come back and he did it in a big way, taking the set thanks to an extraordinary finish that made it 7-5. But from then on, it was all uphill.

The ball did not advance as usual, he was very bad in the serve. We know he has changed his technique and it may take time to adapt. But the thing is that Goffin was superior for much of the duel, showing that he is an experienced player and failing very few balls, as we have always been accustomed to.

Now it will be his turn to raise his head, arriving at a moment of the course that he normally likes, the clay court. He will undoubtedly play the Masters 1000 in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome, as well as the ATP 500 in Barcelona. It will be his usual preparation to try to defend his title at Roland Garros. He has a lot of points to defend between Paris and Wimbledon, so he has to take advantage of the previous tournaments to add as much as possible.

This is a translation with the original piece being written by TenisAldia.ES.

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