Carlos Alcaraz hints at a big career change with his 2027 plans revealed
Carlos Alcaraz is thinking about playing doubles on the ATP Tour in 2027, after teaming up with Jakub Mensik to beat Taylor Fritz and Alexander Bublik at the Laver Cup. They won 6-4, 6-4 at Roger Federer’s end-of-year event, which features Team Europe versus Team World in London.
Alcaraz said, “I’m thinking about playing doubles in some tournaments because I had a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it out there,” just days after talking about how tough the ATP Tour’s singles schedule can be.
Next, Alcaraz will face Fritz in a singles match at the Laver Cup on Saturday evening at The O2. This will be his first singles match since his long five-set loss to Ben Shelton at the US Open, which lasted over four hours.
In doubles, Alcaraz and Mensik won in straight sets, saving all five break points and converting two of four, in an 87-minute match. Alcaraz has also played doubles with Rafael Nadal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they lost in the quarter-finals. He also teamed up with Serena Williams in mixed doubles at the US Open this year, reaching the quarter-finals.
At the Laver Cup, the 23-year-old has played doubles with Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev (the 2026 US Open champ), and Mensik in past editions.
After his doubles win on Friday, Alcaraz said, “I wish I could play more doubles throughout the year. Sometimes it’s hard because singles matches are so physically and mentally tough. I try to rest as much as I can between matches to stay ready. But I had a great time out there and would like to play doubles more often.”
After his tough US Open quarter-final against Shelton—when Alcaraz was recovering from a big injury—he said the ATP Tour schedule is “too much.” “The quarter-final was amazing — a real gift for me,” he said. “I suffered a lot but enjoyed it. That’s why I smiled after the match because I missed that feeling.”
“But I think the schedule is too much,” he added. “If that match had been earlier, more people would have come to watch. I’d like to see the schedule changed a bit, maybe with matches finishing by 11 pm.”
Alcaraz was out for five months with an upper limb injury before his US Open run. His concerns about the singles schedule were shared by Taylor Fritz, who said it’s tough to shorten his calendar even if he wants to. He explained on The Big T Podcast that players have to play mandatory ATP 500 and 1000 events, and skipping them puts you at a disadvantage. He only plays the mandatory tournaments plus a few 250s, but it’s still a long and tough schedule.
So, both top players are hoping for some changes to make the tour easier on them while they still enjoy competing at their best.