Alcaraz is still adapting to his role as the world number one.

The world number one, Spanish all-around player Alcaraz, has suffered two losses in his recent three matches at the North American "Sunshine Double"—the Indian Wells and Miami Masters, marking a low point in his 2026 season start. Instantly, discussions from fans and media have surged, varying widely, and even some tennis legends have criticized Alcaraz excessively.

In fact, Alcaraz's record so far in the 2026 season is 17 wins and 2 losses, with two titles and a Masters semifinal, which is his best season start since entering professional tennis in 2018. Alcaraz won his first Australian Open championship, achieving a career Grand Slam, not only younger than his compatriot predecessor, Spanish legend Nadal when he completed his Grand Slam, but also the youngest Grand Slam winner in men's tennis history.

Alcaraz started the 2026 season with a 16-match winning streak, tying with American legend Andre Agassi (1995), Serbian star Novak Djokovic (2023), and Italian newcomer Jannik Sinner (2024) for the fifth-longest season-opening streak in men's tennis history, behind Djokovic's 41-match streak (2011), 26-match streak (2020), Nadal's 20-match streak (2022), as well as American legend Pete Sampras (1997), Djokovic (2013), and Swiss king Roger Federer (2018) with 17-match streaks. Moreover, Alcaraz's cross-season outdoor hard court winning streak reached 34 matches, tying with Sampras for the third-longest cross-season outdoor hard court streak in men's tennis history, behind American legend Jimmy Connors' 55-match streak and Federer's 46-match streak.

Those people ignore Alcaraz's such brilliant achievements but instead harshly criticize his two losses, even exaggeratedly predicting his decline, either gloating or adding insult to injury, or simply driven by jealousy and ulterior motives!

Fortunately, Spanish legend Nadal spoke up at this time: "It's completely unnecessary to criticize Alcaraz so harshly just because of two losses, and there's no need to worry excessively. Do we expect Alcaraz to win forever, winning every match throughout the year? That's simply impossible." Former women's world number one, French single-handed star Justine Henin also said: "It's entirely normal for top players to have fluctuations in their competitive form; there's no need to overreact. Perhaps after the two losses in the 'Sunshine Double,' we might see a better Alcaraz in the upcoming clay season."

Objectively and fairly speaking, no player can win continuously forever; fluctuations or even dips in competitive form, occasional losses are completely normal. Moreover, there are reasons like personal injuries, or opponents suddenly performing exceptionally well, playing out of their minds.

The semifinal loss in two sets to Russian star Medvedev at the Indian Wells Masters and the third-round loss in three sets to American star offspring Korda at the Miami Masters highlight one issue: Alcaraz is still adapting to his role as the world number one.

Initially, Alcaraz once情不自禁ly said at a post-match press conference: "I'm tired of every opponent playing as well as Federer, feeling like I've completely become everyone's target." At this point, Alcaraz lacked a clear understanding of his role as the world number one. As noted by esteemed coach Toni Nadal: "Alcaraz is the world number one, stronger; anyone facing him must push harder and fight more fiercely. Because only by acting more decisively and taking more risks can they possibly carve out a slight chance to win."

Later, Alcaraz recognized this issue, saying: "Being in the chased position brings difficulties. Other players have no pressure when competing against me because they have nothing to lose and only gain more, allowing them to play without pressure. Honestly, this situation makes me uncomfortable, sometimes even irritated. But I can only accept it and must continue fighting, giving my all. Surely, my future opponents will also play against me in the same way, so I must prepare."

How to prepare? Alcaraz has already considered this maturely: "When opponents perform exceptionally well in matches, I still have many weapons and methods, and many ways to make opponents uncomfortable, though sometimes I don't find that method timely. I've reached critical points like 30:30, 40:40 many times in matches, even had many break points, but I failed to seize those关键时刻. This is a lesson I must总结吸取. In future matches, even if opponents fight hard and perform exceptionally, I will still have opportunities. I will play better on those关键分, not letting opponents control the situation continuously; I will push them to their limits."

Alcaraz's deepened understanding of his role as the world number one has been affirmed by former world number two, British legend Tim Henman: "What Alcaraz says is entirely true; this is the price of being world number one. Every player wants to stop you, and they have no burdens. Alcaraz recognizing this, not焦虑ing about it, but accepting the situation and striving to find solutions shows his growth and maturity."

（Source: Tennis Home Author:七彩豆粉）