There were a lot of ups and downs when Carlos Alcaraz was up against wild card entrant Botic Van de Zandschulp in the first round of the Rotterdam Open on Tuesday (February 4). A former player from France, Nicolas Escude, observed one aspect of Alcaraz’s game that needs improvement.

The Spaniard was on the cusp of defeat in the first set as Van de Zandschulp was on a set point, but his double fault helped his opponent claim the set that was pushed into the tie-break. Momentum shifted when the Dutchman restricted the 21-year-old to three games in the second set.

It was then Alcaraz made a dominant comeback to secure a place in the second round with a 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 triumph. Escude found a lot of things Alcaraz lacked in his game, but he also thinks the youngster can’t improve them because of lack of time.

Alcaraz is yet to win a title on indoor hard courts. The top seed has signed up for the Rotterdam Open for the first time in his career.

Carlos Alcaraz is a four-time Grand Slam champion, but he still suffers from nerves. The Murcia-born, who sported a nasal strip to help his breathing, made 40 unforced errors in the two opening sets.

After failing to achieve the Career Grand Slam due to defeat to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open quarterfinals, Alcaraz was up against a player who was the reason behind his elimination from the 2024 US Open. Botic Van de Zandschulp had defeated Alcaraz in straight sets in the second round in last year’s event at Flushing Meadows.

Alcaraz has improved his head-to-head record against the 29-year-old to 3-1. He will next be facing qualifier Andrea Vavassori or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round. Alcaraz is 1-0 against the Italian and edges Auger-Aliassime 4-3 in their head-to-head contests.