Carlos Alcaraz’s team have been told to better manage his schedule (Image: Getty)
took aim at ’s team ahead of the Australian Open.
The Spaniard spend his off-season playing lucrative exhibition matches before putting his head down with a solid training block.
But Becker believes those around Alcaraz need to manage his schedule better, accusing them of focusing on “money”.
Despite winning two Grand Slam titles in 2024, Alcaraz finished the year outside of the world’s top two. The Spaniard also suffered some disappointing early exits at the US Open and Cincinnati Masters, and failed to get out of the group stage at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz has often admitted that he struggles to maintain his motivation and focus throughout the demanding 11-month tennis season. Last September, he called out the brutal tennis season, saying: “They are going to kill us in some way.”
But the 21-year-old was also happy to enter some exhibition events. He competed in the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, where players got £1.15m just for taking part.
Alcaraz also played two light-hearted matches during the off-season in New York and Charlotte. Although exhibitions don’t take the same toll on a player that real events do, Becker believes the Spaniard’s team must stop prioritising the lucrative matches.
Boris Becker wants Carlos Alcaraz’s team to stop thinking about money (Image: Getty)
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“He had a bad tournament schedule in 2024 because he played far too much,” the German said on his new podcast with Andrea Petkovic.
“Carlos is a diva on the court in a positive sense, a true artist. But you can only let him out when it really counts. He has to be on fire when he goes on the court. You don’t want to see an average Alcaraz, you want to see someone who is at 100 per cent.”
The six-time Major winner believes those around Alcaraz must rethink his schedule to make sure he can compete at his best year-round, eliminating the big-money exhibitions.
Becker continued: “His team needs to focus less on the money and more on titles and the world rankings.
“Sure, he gets seven-figure appearance fees for show fights in the off-season, but coaches and managers simply have to protect him better.”
Alcaraz has already made some decisions about his 2025 schedule. He did not enter any warm-up events and has rejigged his plans for February.
Instead of playing the Latin American clay-court tournaments, Alcaraz will enter hard-court events in Rotterdam and Doha.
For now, his focus will be firmly on the . Alcaraz is bidding to complete the career Grand Slam by lifting the trophy at Melbourne Park this month.
Aged just 21, he would become the youngest man to win all four Majors, already tasting success at the French Open, and US Open.