After Carlos Alcaraz's shock Paris loss, Andy Roddick explains why Spaniard has a 'hard time' finishing the year strong with Jannik Sinner comparison

Carlos Alcaraz suffered a shocking loss at the 2025 Paris Masters, falling to Cameron Norrie in the second round. The 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 loss on October 28 against the Brit means that Alcaraz has now been defeated in three out of four matches he has played at this particular year-end Masters 1000 event. Andy Roddick shared his perspective on why Alcaraz often struggles near the close of the season, while comparing him to Jannik Sinner.

Speaking on a recent episode of the “Served” podcast, Roddick suggested that the indoor atmosphere at these late-season tournaments does not align with the lively and energetic way Alcaraz approaches the game.

“(He) seems to kind of have a hard time finishing the year, where he's a guy who relies on electricity from the crowd, he likes the atmosphere, he likes the show, he likes being an entertainer," Roddick said (timestamp 20:17 onwards) Then you get to this part of the season where you're outside for like four minutes of daylight every day, right? Like you're walking into the venue and it's light, and then you're walking out of the venue and every place you're playing is it's dark at 4:15 (p.m.).”

Roddick went on to say that Sinner’s more reserved personality might give him an advantage in these quieter, more controlled environments.

“Sinner is maybe better suited personality-wise to go in, get the job done, leave. Where Carlos maybe needs to get inspired a little bit more,” Roddick concluded.

Carlos Alcaraz’s early exit at the La Défense Arena, combined with Jannik Sinner going on to win the tournament, put the Italian back at the top of the ATP rankings. However, his stay there turned out to be very short. Once the points from the 2024 ATP Finals were deducted from the rankings, Sinner dropped again, and Alcaraz moved back into the World No.1 spot.

At the moment, Alcaraz holds a 1050-point lead over Sinner. The upcoming ATP Finals will likely determine who finishes the season as the year-end World No.1.

Carlos Alcaraz reacts to loss against Cameron Norrie

Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the Paris Masters with momentum after back-to-back titles at the US Open and the Tokyo Open. This made the loss even more surprising, catching the tennis world and himself off guard. He felt his game and energy were right where they needed to be.

"I came here really well. I came here with a lot of energy. I came here thinking that I could do good results because I have been playing really good tennis," Alcaraz said. "This is the best year for me in terms of playing at the end of the year. So I've been talking with some other players, with my team, that I feel great.”

With Carlos Alcaraz’s loss against the World No. 27, Jannik Sinner, who has won titles in Beijing, Vienna, and Paris within just five weeks, becomes the clear favorite for the season-ending tournament in Turin.

Edited by Advait Jajodia