Bautista's Advice to Alcaraz After His Documentary: "I don't think he'll win.."
The player from Castellón reflected on the state of Spanish tennis, his fall in Madrid... and was asked about the Alcaraz documentary, to which he gave a clear and mature response.
Roberto Bautista left the Mutua Madrid Open 2025 after a strong defeat against Alexander Zverev. The Castellonese player stood up to the strength of the German but without success, acknowledging him as one of the top contenders for the champion's trophy. His post-match reflections at the press conference were noteworthy, especially when asked about two current topics: the state of Spanish tennis (with only Alejandro Davidovich left in the tournament) and the documentary about Carlos Alcaraz, to whom he offered an interesting piece of advice for the future.
- Tough loss against an unstoppable Zverev
"I'm a bit disappointed heading home because I would have liked to put up a better fight than I did, but I have to congratulate him because he played at a high level, very sharp, very impactful with his serve. Here in Madrid, he is perhaps one of the toughest opponents you can face. Before the draw, if there was someone I didn't want to play against, it was him: coming off a win in Munich, serving very well in these conditions... even if I hadn't witnessed today's match firsthand, I would have considered him the favorite to win the tournament."
- Enjoying playing in arenas like these again
"It's about trying to enjoy every match to the fullest. It's true that I didn't enjoy much today because I couldn't present the kind of challenge I had in mind or would have liked. Playing here in Spain is always special; I savor every minute on the court. I didn't want to leave the court (smiling), but he played very well, was very sharp, and outperformed me."
- No Spaniards left in the tournament except Davidovich: What's happening to Spanish tennis?
"What's happening to Spanish tennis? We come from a period in Spanish tennis that yielded many successes. We have become very accustomed to it. We had numerous Spanish tennis players at the top: I remember that ten or twelve years ago, I was 14th in the world and was like the fifth Spanish player. I recall having Rafa, David, Robredo, Verdasco, Almagro ahead of me. I was ranked 14th or 15th and had five Spaniards ahead. That has changed; we should engage in self-criticism, surely there are many things to improve. Hopefully, the young players coming up behind will continue to push, evolve, and allow us to see many Spaniards in the final stages of tournaments."
- Why has this happened? Did Rafa's figure hide the fact that no one else was coming up?
"No one. I wouldn't say no one. The number of players as good as before hasn't emerged, but we have to keep going, as in all aspects of life... invest to yield in the future. We will have to improve, understand what's happening. I don't want to criticize anyone, much less Spanish tennis, but we have to look at examples like Italy to progress and continue producing good tennis players."
- Thoughts on Carlos Alcaraz's documentary and how he aims to reach the top "his way." Do you have to be a slave to tennis to get there?
"I believe that top-level tennis demands a lot. I don't think Carlos will win Grand Slams by going to bed at seven in the morning. Tennis is very demanding, though everything seems beautiful now, he is very young; he has to understand that to match the achievements of the top three, he must play at a high level for fifteen years. I consider him intelligent; he will surely gradually realize what it takes to reach that high level and implement it."
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El gran consejo de Bautista a Alcaraz tras su documental: "No creo que gane..."