After losing a tight three-setter at the 2025 Indian Wells Masters to Jack Draper, Spanish star Carlos Alcaraz made a very interesting statement. He admitted that he “didn’t practice well” and didn’t feel himself on court. Alcaraz spoke about how even during his warm-up session ahead of that match, he missed quite a few shots. But more surprisingly, he claimed, “I always say that I have to be focused on myself, on my own game. I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself… So when you’re thinking more about the opponent than yourself, then it is a big problem.” Fast forward two months and Carlitos is all set to cross paths yet again with the Brit. Now, having already reached QF at the Italian Open, how does he look at things before facing the same opponent on clay in his next match?

Carlos Alcaraz has now reached the QF at all nine Masters 1000 events. He defeated Russia’s Karen Khachanov by 6-3,3-6,7-5 in the R16. With this win, he has now also become the first Spaniard to make it to the last eight in Rome since the 10-time champion Rafael Nadal in 2021. Following this hard-fought victory against the Russian, Alcaraz was asked to share his thoughts about his next opponent in his post-match press conference. Speaking of Jack Draper, he added, “Jack is playing great. The way he’s playing is really high. I’ve been watching his matches. The way he plays is huge, and I have to be ready for that. I think it’s going to be a great battle.“

Alcaraz has looked solid on clay this season. He has a win-loss record of 12-1 (including the Monte Carlo triumph), and against the Brit, he has a record of 3-2. In the SF of the 2025 Indian Wells Masters, Draper defeated Alcaraz by 6-1,0-6,6-4. Is the Spaniard seeking revenge in Rome? In another post-match interview with Tennis Channel, Carlos Alcaraz said, “I think his (Draper’s) game is pretty well to all the surfaces. So I think it’s not going to be really different from Indian Wells. I just have to be ready for that. I’m looking forward to playing against Draper again. He’s one of the best players in the world right now. The results show how good he’s making the final in Madrid. Playing great!“

Further, he also revealed that he has been following Jack Draper’s matches pretty closely these days, and Alcaraz believes, “It’s going to be an interesting match for the fans. I think it’s going to be a really beautiful match to watch. As I said, I’m looking forward to playing against him together or to taking revenge from Indian Wells. I will be ready. I’ve to put my game if I want to beat him, and we will see tomorrow.” Even when Draper reached the final at Indian Wells, Alcaraz had sent him best wishes for the final but also added, “Can’t wait for the revenge!” Interestingly, the Spaniard had received quite a few backlashes then.

Alcaraz was quick to realize his mistake last time, and surely he will be well aware of not repeating the same mistake this time as well. Before this tournament, the Spaniard was last seen in action at the Barcelona Open, where he was defeated by Holger Rune in straight sets. Although he has already secured three wins in Rome since making his comeback, he was spotted speaking about his physical struggles during his victory over Khachanov in the post-match interview. What did he say?

“Physically I struggled a bit” – Carlos Alcaraz’s post-match reaction after his R16 victory

Injuries have been the biggest concern for Carlos Alcaraz in the last few months. Following his impressive performances in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, Alcaraz was forced to withdraw his name from the Madrid Open due to an adductor injury. There were also a lot of concerns about his participation at the Italian Open, but thankful for his fans, the Spaniard has looked steady as of now in Rome. But amidst all these, he recently gave an update that clearly portrayed that he was pushed to his highest limits in his previous match against Karen Khachanov.

While sharing his thoughts on that match, Alcaraz said, “It feels amazing to get the win at the end against a really big and really tough guy like Khachanov. Physically, I struggled a bit.” However, just a moment later, he confirmed, “Not any pain on any part of the body, but I was just tired. The match was really tough. I had to run a lot, so I’m just really proud of the way I fought for every ball.” Perhaps a sigh of relief for all the Carlitos fans!

Now talking about his next match and his opponent, Jack Draper has a huge admiration for the Spaniard. In 2023, during an interview, while sharing his thoughts on Alcaraz’s title triumph in Wimbledon, he said, “Some people look at that and make excuses and say ‘you know, he’s lucky because he’s in that position or whatever’, but I understand he is in that position because he has put a hell of a lot of work in and he has done all the right things for many years. I think I can take a lot of inspiration and learn from a lot of things that these guys are doing, and really that fuels my fire to be in that position as well.” 

With the ‘Big 3‘ slowly fading away, it’s high time for players like Carlos Alcaraz and Jack Draper to step up their game and carry forward the legacy in men’s tennis. Draper (23) is one year older than Alcaraz, but he’s yet to win a Grand Slam title; on the other hand, Alcaraz already has four major titles in his bag. Do you see the Brit winning a major title in the near future?