Carlos Alcaraz Survives Japan Open Opener Amidst Struggles with Outdoor Conditions
Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning Tokyo Japan Open champion and world No. 3, faced a daunting challenge in his opening-round match, narrowly defeating US Open quarterfinalist Alex Michelsen 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-1. The Spaniard’s victory, far from the commanding performances fans expect, exposed significant difficulties adapting to the outdoor hard courts after a lengthy period confined to indoor play.
“I couldn’t train outdoors until this morning’s warm-up, and it had been a long time since I’d played any matches on outdoor courts,” Alcaraz revealed in his post-match interview. “I’d trained on indoor courts, but the feeling was completely different. The ball gets bigger, and I think the court is quite a bit slower than the indoor one, so it was tough to adapt to those conditions and adjust my game. It frustrated me a bit not to be able to unleash my tennis, my playing style, being aggressive, because the conditions wouldn’t let me.”
Alcaraz’s frustration is understandable considering the unique circumstances leading up to the match. Since returning from a wrist injury at the US Open, every match he contested was under a roof—the entirety of his five New York matches were played indoors with Arthur Ashe Stadium’s roof closed, and his undefeated Laver Cup appearances for Team Europe took place inside London’s O2 Arena. Arriving in Tokyo, he encountered relentless rain forcing him back onto covered courts for training, delaying his outdoor acclimatization until match day under oppressive humidity and heat.
“The same thing has happened to the players who competed in the Laver Cup and came here, since we arrived quite late,” Alcaraz added. “During the days we were here, it was raining, and we had to train on covered courts. Arriving today and encountering so much humidity, heat, and totally different conditions made it very difficult to play and manage everything we went through during the match.”
The match itself mirrored Alcaraz’s adaptation struggles. Michelsen pushed the Spaniard to the brink in the opening set, earning three set points, all of which Alcaraz saved before dominating the tiebreak 7-1. Attempting a quicker service motion, Alcaraz initially built a 4-2 lead in the second set, but a shaky serve led to four consecutive games lost, handing the set to Michelsen. The world No. 3 then regained composure to break twice in the deciding set and secure the win.
Strikingly, Alcaraz produced more winners off his backhand than his trademark forehand, a symptom of both his forehand and serve lacking their usual sharpness early on. He committed 40 unforced errors during the match, underlining his struggle to find rhythm in unfamiliar outdoor conditions.
This gritty victory extended Alcaraz’s winning streak at ATP 500 events to 17 matches and kept his title defense alive on a day when other top seeds such as Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Tommy Paul were ousted in the first round. Alcaraz is set to meet French Open semifinalist Matteo Arnaldi in the round of 16.
Alcaraz’s candid reflections on court conditions echo earlier complaints during the Laver Cup, where he criticized the inconsistent ball behavior affecting gameplay. His persistence to overcome these challenges underscores his determination but also highlights the impact of environmental factors on even the sport’s elite performers.
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