Something is off with Carlos Alcaraz. Alarms have been raised after a hard court American swing where he couldn't find his game at any moment. This feeling seems to have been present since the beginning of 2025, but in this month of March, it seems to have deepened. After his elimination in the Indian Wells semifinals, he quickly bids farewell in Miami, where he succumbed to a solid David Goffin from start to finish, while the Spaniard showed signs of blocking, disconnection, and lack of ideas. The Belgian secured the victory with a score of 5-7, 6-4, and 6-3, delivering the first major surprise of the tournament. Alcaraz will need to recover from this tough blow before embarking on the European clay court swing, which now seems more crucial than ever.

Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Miami with doubts lingering after his loss to Jack Draper in the Indian Wells semifinals, in one of the most irregular matches remembered in his short but successful career. Therefore, there was no better solution for that bad memory than to seek victory in his debut at the Florida tournament, where he claimed his first Masters 1000 title in 2022.

The Spaniard confessed after his defeat against Draper in California that he started the match very nervous, focusing more on his opponent's game than his own. As a result, he began strongly in the match, preventing the veteran Goffin from taking the upper hand. However, the Belgian is a player who always manages to hit one more ball, changing directions with great skill and saving two break points, indicating that he did not come to Miami just to stroll around.

If the El Palmar native had entered the match more convinced and focused, everything quickly faded away, and he seemed to run out of ideas. He made two drop shots that went long and committed a double fault on the first break point he faced. The ghosts of Indian Wells appeared, and Alcaraz had to step up his game if he didn't want the alarms to start ringing right away.

And, as he usually does when walking on a tightrope, he woke up and quickly recovered the break to level a very strange and dangerous first set (4-4) for his intentions. Despite the Spanish recovery, the Belgian did not lower his level; he remained equally reliable with his serve and troublesome on the returns.

But just as the set reached a crucial moment, the world number three made his move. Goffin may have the experience of a 34-year-old veteran, but Alcaraz has the determination of a four-time Grand Slam champion and secured a set with great skill and patience (7-5).

From the back-and-forth exchanges in the first set, they transitioned to a second set with few rallies and little rhythm. However, even so, the man from Murcia struggled with his service, his volleys and drop shots were not effective, giving Goffin a chance to stick to his game plan. The match entered a phase of lethargy with a more subdued and passive crowd than usual, and with the advertising boards going dark, it felt more like a training session than a Masters 1000 match.

The second set reached its climax, but unforced errors from both players took center stage. The lack of competitive tension led to Alcaraz's disconnection, as he lost his serve at 4-4, and this time, Goffin seized the opportunity to claim the second set and push the match to a decisive third set. 'Are you kidding me?' read the scoreboard as the Belgian took a second set that lacked much drama, and whatever little it had, Goffin capitalized on.

The way in which Alcaraz lost the second set affected him greatly as he succumbed in the opening game of the final set. It was clear that something was amiss with Alcaraz, whether it was in his tennis, mentality, or physical condition; the Murcian was not fully present on the Miami center court, and the fans present rubbed their eyes as the 2022 champion seemed to be slipping away.

There was a flicker of a comeback, perhaps spurred by the looming elimination, and Alcaraz held up a fist to rally the crowd from utter silence to doing the wave. But even then, Goffin remained unfazed, edging closer to victory.

“Come on, you're there, you have to push forward because he will give you the opportunity!” Juan Carlos Ferrero shouted to his protege, but the Murcian shook his head, as if aware that something in his system was not quite functioning. Alcaraz did not give up, but it seemed like it wasn't his day, as shots that would usually land in were now missing by millimeters. Whenever Goffin seemed to falter, he quickly recovered, making the outcome inevitable, and the Belgian secured the first surprise of the Miami Open, much to Alcaraz's dismay, as he never seemed to be in control of the match.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz no es Alcaraz y se despide de Miami con muchas dudas