Chris Eubanks delivers blunt verdict on Alcaraz's top form

Chris Eubanks responds when asked if Carlos Alcaraz is back to his best.

Eubanks, a former Wimbledon quarter-finalist, gave his assessment on The Big T Podcast.

He was asked directly whether the 23-year-old Spaniard has returned to his best form.

“I don’t know if I’d say his best,” Eubanks said.

“But I think he is certainly a lot, a lot better than, at various stages, what we saw in New York, and that’s to be expected.”

Alcaraz has been on a tear since returning from a long-term injury at the end of August.

His record stands at 17-2 on the ATP Tour.

The only losses came against Ben Shelton in the US Open quarter-finals and Zizou Bergs in the Shanghai Masters second round.

Eubanks pointed to the layoff as a natural reason for the slow start.

“You’re out for that long. You come back into a best of five set grand slam. Like, yeah, there’s gonna be some rust,” he said.

“And I think the more that he plays, even at Laver Cup, he looked really good, but the more that he plays, the more he’s gonna start to find his form.”

Eubanks sees the next two weeks as critical for Alcaraz.

“I think this, and Turin next week, will be prime opportunities for him to kind of really, you know, end his year on a really high note,” Eubanks said.

“Not just by the results, but just by a level standpoint, and being able to go into the off season fresh, and hopefully 100 per cent going into Australia, but I think he’s playing very close to top tier.”

He pointed to a specific match as evidence.

“There were some moments in that De Minaur final that I was like, yep, this looks like the same guy,” Eubanks said.

But he still wants to see more.

“I still want to see how this goes here [in Paris] as he’s looking to prime and peak in Turin,” Eubanks said.

“This is certainly going to be somewhere he wants to kind of avenge that early loss last year to Cameron Norrie.”

Alcaraz lost to Norrie in the Paris Masters second round in 2025.

Eubanks summed up his view with a clear bottom line.

“So I think I want to see a little bit more from him. We’ve seen some ridiculously high moments from Carlos. I don’t think he’s there just yet, but at this rate, it’s only a matter of time.”

Alcaraz advanced to the Paris Masters quarter-finals without hitting a ball on Thursday.

Matteo Berrettini withdrew from their third-round match due to arm pain.

Berrettini posted on Instagram stories in Italian: “Hi all, unfortunately the pain in my arm that I’ve had for a few days won’t allow me to take the court tonight. In the next few days I will have all the necessary tests to better understand what this is. Thank you all for the support and affection you show me every day on and off the court. Mat.”

The tournament’s official social media account wrote: “Matteo Berrettini has to withdraw from the Rolex Paris Masters. Wishing you a speedy recovery Matteo. Carlos Alcaraz is qualified for the quarter-finals.”

Alcaraz will face Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Fritz beat home favorite Arthur Fils 6-3, 6-4 to reach the last eight.

The match carries extra stakes for Fritz.

He must beat Alcaraz to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin.

The last spot is currently held by Spaniard Rafael Jodar, who lost in the second round in Paris.

Alcaraz is chasing his fifth tour-level trophy of the season in the French capital.

He has never reached the semi-finals on the indoor hard courts of Paris in six appearances.

This is only the second time he has made the quarter-finals at this event.

Alcaraz began his Paris campaign with a 7-6, 6-3 win over American Alex Michelsen on Wednesday.

The Paris courts are among the fastest on the tour this season.

The ball moves quickly through the air and stays very low after bouncing, making shot control difficult.