Why does Alcaraz play worse on indoor hard courts?

Jose Morón | 5 Nov 2025 | 14.49

Why does Alcaraz play worse on indoor hard court? Photo: Getty

Streaming French Open Women live tennis

🎾 Marta Kostyuk vs Oksana Selekhmeteva

Sign up with Bet365 here
Make your first deposit of at least €5
Go to the “Live” section and watch every match

Watch the match on Bet365

It is surprising to see that Carlos Alcaraz accumulates over 80% of victories on surfaces like clay or grass, or nearly 80% on hard courts but drops below 70% on indoor hard courts. What happened last week in Paris is not a mere coincidence. There is something about this surface that doesn't suit Carlitos.

To understand what is happening to him, one just needs to observe what occurs under certain conditions when tennis is played in a completely enclosed venue without sunlight. It is crucial to distinguish between outdoor covered courts, like the Arthur Ashe Stadium where Alcaraz shone against Sinner in the past US Open final, and those played in a fully enclosed pavilion with artificial light, such as Paris or Turin.

Outdoor courts still expose the game to elements like sunlight or wind, along with different humidity levels. In a closed pavilion, there are no effects from wind or sunlight, with humidity completely contrasting that of an outdoor venue. The ball behaves differently on indoor hard courts, hence altering the game, which is why Carlos Alcaraz still struggles on this surface.

With only one title on indoor hard courts (Rotterdam) and a record of 31 wins and 14 losses (68.8%), Alcaraz has failed to advance beyond the quarters at the Paris Masters and beyond the semis at the ATP Finals (winning a maximum of two matches per edition). It is clear that this is his weakest surface, primarily due to his lack of experience on it. Like most Spanish players, he has been raised on outdoor courts, so his game is fully adapted to playing with the effects of weather, especially sunlight.

Carlitos possesses one of the top five forehands in terms of topspin on the circuit. His game is about pressuring opponents with the weight of the ball, in a perfect combination of speed and spin, to finish points moving forward. It was somewhat akin to what Rafa aimed for, with the highest topspin forehand ever seen in this sport. Even Nadal faced similar challenges as Carlos, retiring without clinching an ATP Finals title and securing only one indoor title.

Alcaraz will need to realize that when this time of the year comes, he must make certain adjustments in his game to succeed here. He is accustomed to doing things in a certain way, which allows him to be one of the circuit dominators, but when it comes to playing on indoor hard courts, he must reach winners by making distinct changes in his tennis to avoid facing the same fate as Rafa.

How Indoor Hard Courts Affect Alcaraz's Game

Analyzing Alcaraz's statistics in indoor hard court matches, we see that, overall, his game maintains consistent numbers in aspects like serve, forehand, and backhand, but there is one area clearly affected: points from the baseline.

The Spaniard is among the players with the highest percentage of points won from the baseline, at 55%. This percentage drops by 10% when he plays on this surface. In 2023, he recorded 48%, in 2024, 49%, and in 2025, 50%, with a meager 39% on the day of facing Norrie in Paris.

When playing on indoor hard courts, the effects become less impactful, so the path to victory must be adapted, with slightly flatter strokes and a different style of play. This is where Carlos needs to focus to reverse the situation because currently, he remains at a disadvantage when facing players with flatter strokes or a more direct game from serve +1, like Jannik Sinner himself.

Therefore, he needs court time and must make adjustments in his game so that in the future, this changes. Given his quality, there is little doubt that he will achieve it, but he needs to compete in tournaments that meet these conditions and gradually make those adjustments.

Let's see if in the 2025 ATP Finals he manages to do it, or if we will have to wait again until 2026 to see a better version of Alcaraz on this surface. While he has shown improvement since 2023, he is still far from the level he aims for to compete with others ahead of him on indoor hard courts, like his rival, Jannik Sinner.