“I can’t play like this,” Carlos Alcaraz told his team during his match against Zizou Bergs at the Shanghai Masters. The Spaniard was exasperated with the slow speed and inconsistent bounce of the tennis balls and shifted his focus away from the match, resulting in a defeat against an unlikely opponent. However, cut forward to the Vienna Open, and the seven-time Major champion seemed to have made peace with the conditions, which saw him win the fourth title of the season.

“I always struggle a lot and I was complaining every time,” said Alcaraz in his post-match press conference. “This week I just tried to accept it as it is. With this ball I tried to be positive and not think about it much. It’s just about me..prioritising the main goals into every match helped me”

A subtle shift in mindset saw Alcaraz get back to his vintage form during the week in Vienna, as he did not lose a single set across five matches on his way to the title. Even with slower balls and relatively slow court speed, the Spaniard found a way to get his serving numbers up and always find a way to break through his opponent’s serve. That was most evident in the final against Alex de Minaur, where Alcaraz won over eighty percent of his first serve points and faced only break point against the Australian, who is known to be one of the fastest movers on the Tour.

Alcaraz was in full flow during this tournament, executing his drop shots to perfection, playing high-precision lobs, and showing he was capable of producing the best tennis even in slow conditions. And not to mention, Alcaraz did have grounds to complain, as there were instances of other players who expressed their frustrations with the balls. Newly crowned World No. 1, Alexander Zverev was heard expressing his discontent about the balls in Vienna during his semifinal clash against De Minaur.

This is not the first time that Alcaraz has been known to complain about conditions in recent months. During his time at the Japan Open, the Spaniard was not happy with his level of play, citing the differences between indoor and outdoor play, even after securing a win against Alex Michelsen.

The indoor conditions have been historically tricky for Alcaraz, something he was not shy about admitting after winning the title in Vienna.

Carlos Alcaraz Speaks About His Record on Indoor Hard Courts

Indoor hard courts have been a tricky surface for Alcaraz, who has a career win percentage of just above seventy on it. While it is still impressive, the Spaniard has much higher numbers on the other surfaces, with his win percentages being in the early 80s on clay and outdoor hard courts and in the high 80s on grass.

“Indoor courts haven’t been my best surface and I couldn’t play my best tennis yet,” said Alcaraz during his on-court interview after the final in Vienna. “But I’m happy to lift the trophy here, beating great guys through the whole week, I gained a lot of confidence and experience playing on indoor courts”

The Vienna title was only the second indoor title for the Spaniard, with his other indoor title coming at Rotterdam in 2025, where he beat De Minaur. He did reach the final of the ATP Finals last season as well, but came second to Jannik Sinner. As his closest rival, Alcaraz and Sinner’s performances are always compared, and given that the Italian has already won 10 indoor titles from 12 finals, Alcaraz will always be motivated to improve his indoor record to be on par with his rival.

With the Paris Masters, ATP Finals, and the Davis Cup set to be the final three events for Alcaraz in 2026, the Spaniard will look to build on his exploits in Vienna and excel more on indoor courts. With Sinner having ended his season, the Spaniard will get the opportunity to play through a draw and have a deep run at these events, which he has yet to win in his career.