World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz is back on the court in his hometown of Murcia, Spain. With the hard-court swing now over and the Spaniard lifting two titles to kick off the season, he is shifting his focus to the clay season, commencing with the Monte-Carlo Masters on April 5.
Footage from Spain captured him practicing at Real Sociedad Club de Campo Murcia, working on his backhands, serves, and overall clay adjustment.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Monte-Carlo Masters Practice Kicks Off in Murcia
Alcaraz had an incredible hard-court swing at the beginning of the 2026 season, starting with his seventh major title in Melbourne. He then lifted his 26th ATP title in Doha, continuing his impressive form.
He faced an abrupt halt in Indian Wells, with former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev becoming the first player to conquer the Spaniard this year in the semifinals. Alcaraz then returned to action at Hard Rock Stadium, where he suffered a frustrating third-round exit against American Sebastian Korda, marking his second loss in three matches.
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With the clay season scheduled to begin with the Monte-Carlo Masters on April 5, Alcaraz has shifted his focus to the clay courts. He was seen practicing with his team at Real Sociedad Club de Campo in Murcia, working on his two-handed backhand.
In another video, slow-motion footage of his serve caught the attention of the tennis world, with his near-perfect action inspired by Novak Djokovic’s “black mamba” serve. Alcaraz was also seen perfecting his unpredictable drop shot, with which he has won crucial points in multiple matches.
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Primer entrenamiento de #Alcaraz en tierra .
En su club en @clubcampomurcia ,primer objetivo Mónaco . pic.twitter.com/EBd378dHkm— Antonio Hernández ©️ (@murcianico79) March 29, 2026
This determination in the Spaniard’s practice sessions shows that he is preparing for another dominant stint this year, looking to gain crucial ranking points to put him even further ahead of the rest of the ATP Tour, especially his closest competitor, Jannik Sinner, who sits more than 2,000 points behind him.
More importantly, Alcaraz will be defending his title in Monte-Carlo, which he lifted last year by defeating Italian Lorenzo Musetti 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the final. On his way to the championship match, he conquered Francisco Cerúndolo, Daniel Altmaier, Arthur Fils, and fellow Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
This means he will defend a total of 1,000 ranking points from April 5 to April 12, and any result other than lifting the title this year will result in his ranking points being deducted. Unfortunately, the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic has withdrawn from the tournament, following his withdrawal from Miami, and was seen enjoying the streets of Belgrade.
Analyzing Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 Clay Season
Alcaraz enjoyed a very successful clay-court season last year, beginning with his title at the Monte-Carlo Masters, a week-long ATP Masters 1000 event. After this, he entered the ATP 500 Barcelona Open as the top seed, where he was the local favorite, but lost to Holger Rune in the final.
He suffered a muscle injury during this final, leading to a right-side adductor issue and associated hamstring discomfort. Following these issues, he withdrew from the ATP Masters 1000 Madrid Open.
The Spaniard had an incredible return in Rome at the ATP Masters 1000 Italian Open, where he defeated Karen Khachanov, Jack Draper, and Musetti on his way to the championship match, defeating Sinner in the final to lift the title.
2025’s second major in Paris saw him reach a different level of peak, where he took on American Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Musetti to reach the final, setting up another high-octane clash with the Italian.
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Alcaraz then mounted one of the greatest comebacks in tennis history, coming from being two sets and three championship points down to save the match. He defeated Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in 5 hours and 29 minutes to lift his fifth major title, coming in contention for the World No. 1 spot.
It would be interesting to see how Alcaraz returns to his championship form as he prepares to defend multiple titles.
