During a press conference at the 2025 ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz surprisingly forgot to mention the first title he won this year: the 2025 ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam.
At the ATP 500 hard court tournament in Rotterdam, Alcaraz defeated Botic van de Zandschulp, Andrea Vavassori, Pedro Martínez, and Hubert Hurkacz to reach the final. There, he faced Alex de Minaur and won with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, claiming his 17th ATP Tour title and his first on indoor hard courts.
Carlos Alcaraz Hilariously Forgets About Winning ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam During ATP Finals Press Conference
Alcaraz is currently competing in Turin at the 2025 ATP Finals. He has secured his place in the semifinals by winning all three of his group stage matches against de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Lorenzo Musetti.
When asked during a press conference if he considered this his best indoor hard court season to date, the world No. 1 replied that it would be “difficult” to label the 2025 season as his best, especially since he lost in his opening match at the Paris Masters. He mentioned that he doesn’t compete in many indoor tournaments each year, which limits his experience on this surface.
“I would say is difficult to say that is my best season on indoor courts because I just played Paris Bercy, and Paris Bercy I lost in the first round. Here it’s still the semifinal. So let’s see how it’s going to be. I reached the semifinal here back in 2023 again, so I don’t know. I don’t play too many indoors tournaments per year, which means that I don’t get so much experience on playing in this surface,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz then suddenly remembered that he had won the ABN AMRO Open earlier this year, leading him to conclude that it is indeed his best indoor season so far.
“I forgot that I won Rotterdam, so… I forgot that (smiling). I would say yeah, it’s my best season indoor so far. Coming at the end of the season, approaching the indoor string at the end of the season, for me it’s always great having time at home preparing as much as I can or as good as I can these tournaments. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to play well or not,” he continued.
Alcaraz stated that he has been “confident” entering the 2025 ATP Finals, another indoor tournament, as he had “good preparation.”
“I’m just really happy that I came here with confident, knowing that I’m playing a great tennis. I had really good preparation before this tournament. It’s always to get to know yourself, what you need on and off the court. I think approaching this time of the year, I think I’ve done it pretty well,” Alcaraz added.
In the semifinals at the 2025 ATP Finals, Alcaraz will face either Alexander Zverev or Félix Auger-Aliassime, with the winner advancing to the final against either defending champion Jannik Sinner or de Minaur.