“He Goes for Too Much”: Rival Who Doubted Some Aspects of Carlos Alcaraz Despite Abysmal Record, Ironically Joins Him in Early Paris Masters Exit

Carlos Alcaraz has witnessed a meteoric rise in the past couple of years. Having won two Grand Slams and four ATP 1000 titles, a major weapon for him has been his intensity and aggression. His attacking mindset often sees him pull off unbelievable shots and persevere through breath-taking rallies. He has played some iconic matches, like the 2023 Cincinnati Masters final, displaying his attacking gameplay even as games stretch on for hours.

However, Alcaraz recently got knocked out in the Round of 32 at the Paris Masters 2023. He has had a difficult run, especially since reaching the US Open 2023 semifinals. This has led many to question the Spaniard’s approach, which has made him suffer from frequent injury breakdowns resulting in him skipping many tournaments.

One such critic is Casper Ruud. Despite having a lopsided 0-4 record against Carlos Alcaraz, Ruud expressed his doubts about the Spaniard’s intensity.

Speaking in the ‘Ruud Talk‘ series on Eurosport, the Norwegian said Alcaraz has gotten more mature and stronger. He believed the Wimbledon champion’s aggression works well but at times, goes against him. The Norwegian opined that sometimes Alcaraz tries too hard.

The World No.8 believed Carlos Alcaraz becomes too aggressively intense and attacking sometimes. Casper Ruud opined that the two-time Grand Slam winner tries outlandish shots too often, remarking that makes him his own enemy. However, apart from this observation, he was full of admiration for Alcaraz, saying his maturity and physicality had improved.

“I think he’s more mature. He seems a little bigger, a little physically stronger. He plays very aggressively and very well, but sometimes it seems like he could beat himself a little bit. He goes for almost too much, at least in my opinion.”

He immediately clarified that he did not intend to criticize Alcaraz. But Ruud believed that pulling off  ‘crazy’ and intense shots may give a player a sense of overconfidence to try an even more outrageous shot.

“I’m not going to criticize him anymore because he’s a great player, but sometimes when you make all these crazy shots, it’s tempting to try an even crazier one.”

After Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud ironically became an early casualty at the 2023 Paris Masters. Both had received byes into the Round of 32 courtesy of being seeded eighth and second, respectively. But they could not make the most of it, losing to unseeded players.

Casper Ruud vs Carlos Alcaraz head-to-head and next potential matchup

Casper Ruud was ranked as high as World No.2, achieving his career-best rank in September last year. This was the result of his run to the final of the 2022 US Open. Alcaraz beat the Norwegian in four sets to grab his first Grand Slam title. The latter had a chance to get his revenge when the pair crossed paths in the 2023 China Open quarter-finals. However, Alcaraz again emerged victorious, driving their head-to-head to 4-0 in his favour.

They first clashed in the 2021 Andalucia Open, where a qualifier Alcaraz knocked out #5 seed Ruud. The Spaniard also kept his opponent from winning his first ATP 1000 title, beating him in the final of the 2022 Miami Masters. It is likely that the duo might take each other on next up at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.