Andy Roddick assesses how Carlos Alcaraz's "superpowers can also be weaknesses" after Spaniard's Miami Open shocker
Andy Roddick believes Carlos Alcaraz has extraordinary on-court abilities. However, according to the American, the same abilities occasionally become the Spaniard's weaknesses. Roddick's admission comes on the back of Alcaraz's unexpected early exit from the recently-concluded 2025 Miami Open.
Prior to his Miami outing, Alcaraz looked rock-solid for the most part during his 2025 BNP Paribas campaign in Indian Wells. The 21-year-old was looking for a three-peat in the Californian desert but, unfortunately, came up short in the semis, losing to eventual champion Jack Draper. Next, in Miami, he shockingly lost his opening match to veteran David Goffin and exited the ATP Masters 1000 event without making a mark.
On a recently released episode of the 'Served' podcast, host and former ATP No. 1 Andy Roddick delivered his assessment of Carlos Alcaraz's persisting inconsistency. Roddick laid bare his appreciation for the four-time Grand Slam champion's electric game, but also found loopholes in the Spaniard's overall play that sometimes tend to cost him dearly.
"I want to touch on Carlos too, because he loses in the semis of Indian Wells and people are like, 'How does that happen?' Still pretty good. The first-round loss (at the 2025 Miami Open) was bad, but what I want to see from Carlos, and you won't find a bigger fan than me, he's my favorite player to watch, his inconsistency sometimes almost makes him relatable, and you can see him churning the wheels of decision-making in real time," Roddick said. (from 26:17)
The 2003 US Open champion went on to talk about Carlos Alcaraz's tendency to turn to a more aggressive style of play whenever things don't seem to be going the Spaniard's way. He then concluded by referring to Alcaraz's abilities as "superpowers", but suggested that they can at times become liabilities for the Spaniard when used in the wrong moments.
"Right now, when he's not playing well or not feeling comfortable, he goes more aggressive. That's hard, and most of the greats throughout history tend to dial it back, find some margin and then all of a sudden, you're consistent enough where you can take more risks and it's not irresponsible. Right now...when he's not feeling perfect, it almost feels like he gets more aggressive, and I almost want him to go into a match and say, 'Okay, for the first six games, I'm literally going to take this person's legs out and my ball is heavier than theirs. They're going to have to hit winners for six games.'," Roddick added.
"I don't think he likes getting winners hit on him. I think he likes to be the one that dictates and that's his superpower, and sometimes our superpowers can also be weaknesses when not used in the right moments," he concluded.
Alcaraz himself acknowledged that his level of play was well below its best in his defeat at the hands of David Goffin in Miami.
Carlos Alcaraz rued "poor level" after shocking Miami Open 2R exit
Carlos Alcaraz seemed on course to register a win over David Goffin in Miami after the Spaniard established a set lead over the veteran Belgian. Astonishingly though, his level drastically dropped in the second and third sets, and Goffin ruthlessly capitalised on the situation to clinch the match 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
During his post-match press conference, the ATP No. 3 made no excuses and expressed disappointment with himself over the way his level dipped after the first set.
"It was a poor level from me. I just wanted to play better. After the first set, I thought I was going to be better. He played well, he played good tennis. My level didn't increase. I think his level after the first set increased a little bit," Carlos Alcaraz said.
The Spaniard is currently preparing for the European claycourt swing after a brief family vacation in Mexico, with his next outing set to come at another Masters 1000 event, this year's Monte-Carlo Masters. His win-loss record so far this season stands at 15-4, with his sole title triumph coming at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.