Fresh off his maiden Australian Open triumph, Carlos Alcaraz is back on tour, but instead of celebrating milestones, the Spaniard is already talking about flaws. The world No. 1 returns to action at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open after skipping Rotterdam, where he was the defending champion. Having defeated Novak Djokovic to lift the Melbourne title and complete the Career Grand Slam at just 22, Alcaraz now shares his major tally with John McEnroe – yet his focus remains firmly on improvement.

Speaking ahead of his Doha campaign, the Spaniard insisted success has not changed his mindset. “Obviously, I can see myself that [I have had] a lot of success so far, winning the biggest tournaments in the world,” Alcaraz said. “But I just see myself with weaknesses. A lot of players, I know that they’re trying to catch me up… they are studying my game, they study how I play, trying to beat me, trying to challenge me.”

He emphasized the need to stay one step ahead tactically. “I have to be ready for that, and I have to see where my level is, where my tennis is. I have to try to put myself in their minds and think what they could do when playing against me. You cannot be lagging in the level; you just have to keep it going.”

Among those studying him closely is his biggest contemporary rival, Jannik Sinner, seeded second in Doha. A potential final would mark another chapter in one of tennis’ most electric young rivalries, though Alcaraz refuses to look that far ahead.

The Spaniard opens against Arthur Rinderknech and expects immediate danger. “I know how difficult every match is. Every match is different… I think this draw is a really tough one for a 500 tournament. So I’m just thinking about a match at a time… I want to think day by day.”

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Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Doha unbeaten this season (7-0) but insists results are secondary to development. After a brief visit to Bahrain – where he met Spanish F1 stars Fernando Alonso and Carlos Sainz Jr. – his attention is fully back on tennis growth. Interestingly, he has even set up a goal for this tournament in particular. What’s it, though?

Carlos Alcaraz reveals his goal for the 2026 Qatar Open

Despite calling it a “tough” field, the draw may actually favor Carlos Alcaraz as he begins his campaign at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The top seed opens against Arthur Rinderknech, who arrives struggling for form after early-season losses to Daniel Altmaier and Stefanos Tsitsipas. From there, Alcaraz is projected to meet Valentin Royer, another opponent yet to win a match in 2026.

A potential quarterfinal could bring Karen Khachanov – whom Alcaraz leads 5-0 – or Jaume Munar, who owns just one win over the Spaniard back in 2021. Meanwhile, major hard-court threats like Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Bublik, Jannik Sinner, and Jakub Mensik can only appear in the closing rounds. It marks a kinder path than last year, when Jiri Lehecka stopped him in the quarter-finals.

Coming to his goals for this tournament in particular, instead of targeting silverware, the 25-time tour-level champion has set a developmental goal for the week.

“Coming here, these days, my team and I, just we set up some goals for this tournament,” Alcaraz revealed. “We are not talking about results at all. It’s just more about the process to be better, still in the process to grow up.”

He emphasized that success in Doha would be measured by progress rather than titles. “There are some things that I really want to be better at and develop my game… That would be a really successful week for me, besides the results. I want to see myself doing the right things on and off the court.”

But how much can Carlos Alcaraz take home by winning this title in Doha? Well, the winner of the Qatar Open will receive a total of 500 ATP points and $529,945 in prize money. And for the runner-up, 330 points and $285,095 is up for grabs.

Interestingly, should Alcaraz emerge triumphant in Doha, he will close in on Andy Murray’s all-time prize money tally of $64,687,542. Alcaraz has earned $62,803,831 throughout his career, which ranks fifth in the Open Era. Do you think he can keep his winning streak intact in 2026? Share your thoughts in the comment box.