Why Alcaraz's return to Doha is 'totally different'

Carlos Alcaraz may be preparing for his maiden appearance at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open, but it will not be the first time the Spaniard sets out to prove himself on the courts of Doha’s Khalifa International Tennis Complex.

Four years ago, the Qatari capital hosted the qualifying rounds for the 2021 Australian Open, a move made for logistical reasons in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then competing as a 17-year-old No. 141 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alcaraz booked his spot in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time by winning his three qualifying matches for the loss of just one set.

This week, the Spaniard returns to Doha as the World No. 3 and top seed for the 2025 Qatar ExxonMobil Open, which will this year be held as an ATP 500 for the first time. As he prepares to take on Marin Cilic in his opening match, Alcaraz reflected on how contrasting his latest Doha experience is likely to be.

“I played the qualies of Australian Open in 2021 because of the pandemic,” Alcaraz told ATP Media. “For me it's totally different. I couldn't go out from the hotel in that moment. There was no crowd, no people here, so it's totally different. But four years on, I think I'm coming here feeling different, obviously, but I have great memories from here, from this last time.”

Fresh from lifting his first title of 2025 at the ABN AMRO in Rotterdam seven days ago, Alcaraz leads a stacked field in Doha that also includes one of his great rivals, Novak Djokovic and other Top 10 stars Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev.

“I think Doha has had always really good tennis players at this tournament,” said the 17-time tour-level champion. “Great names, so I'm excited about playing my first time here in Doha, and let's see. I'm still focusing on the things that I have to improve, just focus on myself, and hopefully show some great tennis here.”

After his quarter-final loss to Djokovic at January’s Australian Open, Alcaraz bounced back in style in Rotterdam, where he outlasted De Minaur in the championship match to lift his maiden indoor title. After a brief return home to Spain, he will aim to settle in quickly to competing outdoors again this week in pursuit of a similar vein of form for his Doha debut.

“I think that the way that I improved my level since the first round [through to] the final, the things that I had to improve, I did it pretty well, so for me that was the most satisfying thing,” said Alcaraz of his Rotterdam run. “[After] I had three days that I didn't spend at home because I had to go to Madrid for some stuff that I had to do. So I just spent one day at home. For me it wasn't long, but it was okay after bringing the trophy home, everything was really good.”