Carlos Alcaraz had high hopes for his match against Novak Djokovic at the 2023 ATP Finals, which is why he was really disappointed to see himself fail.
There is no sugarcoating the result because it was really the most lopsided match they ever played. Alcaraz held on for a few games, but once Djokovic turned it up, there was basically no resistance from the Spaniard.
He had one good game in the second set, creating two break chances, but he failed to convert either of those. Djokovic was magnificent and won far easier than anybody anticipated.
The match was the second one in the program, as many expected this epic battle that never really happened. Coming to terms with the result was tough for Alcaraz, who spoke about it after the match.
Well, for me it has been difficult to realize the result of the match. It was 15, 20 minutes after the match that I was a little bit down. I feel like I am not in his level in indoor court obviously. I've played great matches in Wimbledon, in Cincinnati, in Roland Garros. I felt in that match that I'm in the level.
Once we step on the court, indoor court, I feel like I have to practice more, I have to be better player. Obviously he has more experience than me playing in these tournaments, in these courts. But he's unbelievable. It's not about just serving against him. He has a great return game. Unbelievable, I'm going to say. As I said, he push you to a limit in every ball, every shot.
Alcaraz isn't lying; he truly looked frustrated for much of the match. The frustration was visible as he threw his racquet at the end of the match which isn't something he does often.
He played some great rallies but he didn't play a great match. The writings were on the wall, but it was still underwhelming.
Probably I played great points, but it was like one great point, then three, four points just mistakes. First ball went out, something like that. Against a player like Novak, you cannot do that.
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