Carlos Alcaraz gets a strong field, and a chance for revenge, in Rotterdam
Rotterdam has been a happy hunting ground for a few of Alcaraz’s peers, including 2024 champ Jannik Sinner. This year the Spaniard will make his debut as the top seed, and he’ll be trying to win the first indoor title of his career.
He may start with a little extra motivation, when he faces Botic Van De Zandschulp in the first round. The Dutchman put an early end to Alcaraz’s US Open campaign last summer, and chances are the Spaniard isn’t going to want that to happen twice.
The sledding won’t get any easier after that. In round two Alcaraz could play Felix Auger-Aliassime, fresh off his second title run of 2025, in Montpellier. Also in their half are Holger Rune, Andrey Rublev, Hubert and Hurkacz. Seeds in the other half include Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alex De Minaur.
A title run is hardly a must for Alcaraz, but it would be nice to put his loss to Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open behind him, and get his first tournament win of the season, as quickly as possible.