Patrick Mouratoglou isn’t worried about Carlos Alcaraz‘s recent loss to Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Six Kings Slam. The famous coach thinks everyone freaking out about it needs to chill.
Here’s the thing that makes this loss pretty interesting. Alcaraz has been dominating Sinner in their recent matches, winning seven of their last eight competitive games since early 2024.
But there’s a weird pattern happening.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Sinner beat Alcaraz in both the 2024 and 2025 Six Kings Slam finals. Last week’s defeat was especially tough to watch – Sinner won in straight sets after Alcaraz played way below his usual level.
Part of it makes sense. Sinner’s just more comfortable on indoor hard courts than his younger rival. But here’s what’s really strange: Sinner is 2-0 against Alcaraz in exhibitions but only 1-7 in their last eight ATP matches.
That’s a pretty big difference.
It’s All About Motivation
Mouratoglou posted a video on Instagram explaining what he thinks is really going on. He says Alcaraz’s mindset is the key – the guy struggles to get fired up for exhibitions or early tournament rounds the same way he does for the biggest matches.
"I saw some commentaries of people online who were worrying about Carlos because he lost two matches lately. Calm down. I think it’s the same phenomenon, when Carlos plays an exhibition, or when he’s in the second round of a Grand Slam."
Basically, Mouratoglou thinks Alcaraz sometimes gets a little too confident for his own good.
"He feels he is really way above his opponent, so he allows himself to lose focus, lose the set, because he knows that, first of all, the fact that he’s one set all is gonna give him extra motivation and the flame will come back."
The "flame" is everything for Alcaraz, according to Mouratoglou. When it’s not there, he can’t find his best tennis.
"And second, when there is not this flame, he doesn’t find the resources. So that explains why he’s up and down some matches. Actually, he’s working on it and at the US Open, he didn’t have that much. He’s a player who needs the internal flame to give his best. When he feels threatened, he can give his best."
Money Isn’t Everything
Here’s where it gets really interesting. Mouratoglou doesn’t think Alcaraz plays for money. That’s a bold statement considering Sinner just pocketed $6 million for winning the Six Kings Slam.
"When he’s over-motivated and knows he can’t afford to lose his focus, he has the flame. When it doesn’t count that much for him, he doesn’t have the flame. When he has too much margin, he also struggles to find the flame."
The coach points to a recent example that backs up his theory.
"He won Tokyo because it was ATP and it counts for the ranking, so there was this excitement. Whether he wins or not, the final of the Six Kings Slam — it’s not going to change much. It’s just money. He doesn’t play for money."
But hold on. Some people aren’t buying that explanation. Alcaraz plays a lot of exhibitions – he’s got matches coming up against Frances Tiafoe and Joao Fonseca, plus he’s scheduled to face Sinner again in January.
If money really doesn’t motivate him, why take all these exhibition gigs?
It’s worth remembering that Sinner got roasted last year for claiming he didn’t play for money after winning his own $6 million prize. Let’s be honest – pretty much everyone who shows up in Saudi Arabia is at least partly there for the massive paychecks.
The real test will be seeing how both players perform when the 2025 season gets underway and ranking points are actually on the line.
