Carlos Alcaraz urged to be more 'ruthless' as he is met with schedule conundrum

Carlos Alcaraz is fond of competing in an exhibition. He is going to participate in the Laver Cup for Team Europe at the end of the week, but it could be the wrong move, according to Greg Rusedski, who urges Alcaraz to take another look at his schedule.

All of this chatter about scheduling comes in the wake of Alcaraz being sidelined for over four months with a frustrating wrist injury preventing him from competing in much of the clay swing, all of grass and the first part of the North American hardcourt swing.

He only just returned to competition at the US Open, where he reached the quarter-finals, being dumped out in a five-set classic against an inspired Ben Shelton, who triumphed on home soil.

Alcaraz looked good in that tournament and will hope to get back to his best at the Laver Cup and beyond into the Asian swing. He is set to compete in the China Open and Shanghai Masters ahead of the Six Kings Slam.

Rusedski, the former British No.1, was very vocal before the US Open about Alcaraz's inclusion. The 23-year-old ignored many fans and analysts and competed anyway. While a big risk in the best-of-five format, he coped very well.

Looking ahead into the future, Rusedski stated what his priorities should be when speaking on his podcast.

“I think health is your wealth and you’ve got to prioritise what is important for you,” Rusedski said. “Is it trying to get the most majors? Is it trying to get the most titles? Is it being year-end number one? And that’s where you’ve got to sit down with the team and figure those things out and I think they’ll get there."

Alcaraz previously stated how he will cut back on competing, only focusing on the big tournaments and taking longer breaks in the year. Rusedski advised looking towards what his main rival, Jannik Sinner, does.

“I don’t think Carlos is going to make the same mistake twice. And I think Sinner so far has managed his career picture perfect to date with a little bad luck on the knees at the moment, because I think that was the slip at Wimbledon in the opening round. But he’s not going to let us know.”

The problem Rusedski singled out was the exhibitions. At the end of 2025, he played in two exhibitions in the USA and at the start of the year against Sinner in South Korea.

“Australian Open, there was a big story when he [Alcaraz] split with Juan Carlos Ferrero and then he wins the Australian Open for the first time. But he played so much during the off-season leading in as well," Rusedski.

“I think that’s where he’s got to be a little bit more ruthless. Less exhibitions, little time, have a little break, get your time away from the game and then get your training right.”

It is yet to be seen how Alcaraz tackles this. He is fond of competing in events like the Laver Cup, and that seems to be continuing into the future with the Davis Cup also on his radar, albeit that is not an exhibition. Whatever the case, he will be desperate for a similar setback not to occur. He is still very young, but 2026 is a stark warning for what could occur much more if he does not manage his schedule correctly.