Carlos Alcaraz recently concluded his 2025 official schedule as the ATP’s year-end world No. 1, boasting tour-leading statistics of 71 match victories and eight trophies, alongside two Grand Slam titles, which brought his career tally to six. Whilst his season has finished, his year hasn’t.
That’s because the 22-year-old Alcaraz, who withdrew from representing Spain in last week’s Davis Cup Final due to right hamstring discomfort, has committed to a pair of forthcoming exhibition events featuring singles clashes against two-time US Open semi-finalist Frances Tiafoe in Newark, New Jersey, on December 7, and against Joao Fonseca, a teenage Brazilian ranked 24th, in Miami a day later.
Alcaraz is amongst numerous tennis players vocal about his sport’s calendar, arguing it extends too long, demands excessive commitment from athletes and offers an insufficient off-season.
Does he understand why certain supporters might question why he would schedule these unofficial appearances?
“First of all, it’s normal that people think that way and they don’t understand why we’re complaining about the calendar and then we set up the exhibition matches,” Alcaraz told The Associated Press.
“But for me, the main difference is that, at a tournament, you’ve got to keep your focus and it’s really physically and mentally demanding for one week and a half. And an exhibition is just one day. You just stay focused, just warm up, just practice not that much – for one match.”
It comes down, he said, to the external and internal pressures that accompany the relentless week-in, week-out schedule, battling for victories, ranking points and silverware, which accumulates throughout the season.
Such pressures are notably absent when Alcaraz competes away from prestigious venues like the All England Club or Roland-Garros, instead playing at unconventional locations such as the home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils or Major League Baseball’s Miami Marlins, two arenas that had never previously staged professional tennis.
Ross Hutchins, who oversees the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup as the new CEO of the International Tennis Federation, believes this kind of exposure benefits the sport.
“We have cities, governments, locations, individuals, entrepreneurs, federations that just want more tennis. Everyone wants more tennis, and the sport is growing and growing and growing with its appeal. So we’re in a fortunate situation at the moment,” Hutchins said.
“It’s difficult to say it’s bad for players to play in a new location. It’s difficult to criticise the players for doing so because of the dynamics that they’re in” as independent contractors who “never know when your form is going to drop or what injury might hit.”
At the Prudential Center, alongside Alcaraz versus Tiafoe, there will be a singles clash between 2024 US Open runner-up Jessica Pegula and 2025 Wimbledon and US Open runner-up Amanda Anisimova, plus some mixed doubles action.
The following night at loanDepot Park, Alcaraz vs. Fonseca will be joined by another clash between Pegula and Anisimova, as well as a mixed doubles 10-point tiebreaker.
Alcaraz shared his approach to the exhibitions, stating: “You could approach the exhibitions in different ways. You can (do it) just to have fun, playing good tennis, good shots and having fun. Or you can approach them playing really serious and (using) tactics and trying different things you will want to do later, in an event.”
He added: “So for these matches, I’m going to play well, I’m going to take it really seriously, but at the same time, I’m going to try to have as much fun as I can. To me, that’s what matters. When I’m having fun on court, I can show my best tennis.”