Carlos Alcaraz‘s frequent inconsistency is a concern for many former players and analysts. The Spaniard has recently struggled to close out matches.
Alcaraz is arguably the best player on the ATP Tour at his peak level. However, he often fails to maintain that level consistently.
This inconsistency particularly affects him in best-of-three matches, as evidenced at the 2025 Qatar Open in Doha.
Alcaraz lost in the quarter-finals despite leading 4-2 and 40-30 in the third set, marking a surprising setback given his position.
This match once again highlighted his struggles with maintaining consistency, a topic addressed by former players Sam Querrey and Steve Johnson on their Nothing Major podcast.
Querrey raised the question of whether these inconsistencies will persist for Alcaraz throughout his career, stating that currently, the four-time Grand Slam champion doesn’t match the “standard” set by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.
“Is this just what we’re going to get from him? I mean, which is really good, but he doesn’t quite have that standard that like Novak, Rafa, and Roger had where they just don’t have bad losses. Alcaraz still seems to throw some ups and downs in there.”
Johnson responded, noting that tennis fans have been spoiled by the consistency of the Big Three over the last two decades.
The former American player remarked that when he faced those top players, once they gained a lead, they rarely let their opponents back in the match.
“I think, at least for me, I feel as if we got very spoiled in the last 15-20 years watching Roger, Rafa, Novak, and then Wawrinka, Murray, Del Potro, Berdych, Tsonga. When they get the lead, they close the door.”
Johnson believes this is an area where Alcaraz still has work to do. He has moments when he lets matches slip away, as seen in his match against Jiri Lehecka in Qatar.
“And we just haven’t seen with conviction from Alcaraz over the last couple of years. I believe that his top-end tennis is better than anyone when he is playing his best, but his mid-range every day can fluctuate from time to time, and it showed especially in this match [against Jiri Lehecka in Doha].”
“He did a really good job, he wasn’t playing his best tennis. He has a 4-2 lead in the third, and a break point to go up a double break. And then about seven-and-a-half minutes later, he’s lost his serve twice, and the match is over, which is just something we haven’t seen from those top guys. When Roger got the lead, the door’s closed. It’s over.”
