Carlos Alcaraz returned to the tennis court in Valencia at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, and after playing both singles and doubles, the Spaniard admitted he was feeling tired.
Alcaraz has played a lot of tennis this summer, with deep runs at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Olympics. It left him drained, which was evident during the US Open, where he played flat and exited earlier than expected.
Some, like former ATP player John McEnroe, advised Alcaraz to take some time off. However, he didn’t heed that advice, signing up to play for Spain in the Davis Cup.
His first day was on Wednesday, and it involved double duty right away. Alcaraz first played in the singles against Tomas Machac, who retired at the start of the third set due to heavy cramping, leaving him unable to continue.
The Spaniard then teamed up with Marcel Granollers in doubles, as they bested Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek in a tough three-set match, securing Spain's 3-0 win over the Czech Republic.
It was a crucial tie, which is why Alcaraz took on double duty, but it left him feeling quite tired, as he openly admitted afterward. Overall, he was happy to bounce back after a slow and nervous start, which should help him in the coming days.
Spain needs one more win to secure their place in Malaga, and the job won't be done until they officially qualify.
"Pretty busy day. I'm first of all really happy with playing a good match in singles and a pretty good match in doubles. I'm a little bit tired, I'm not going to lie. [Machac] is a dangerous player. I started a bit nervous."
"I had a few opportunities, I didn't take them but I was strong mentally and kept fighting. I tried to keep calm, positive in the difficult first set. Then to keep on the pressure and I think for that reason he might have felt physical problems."
This was the first time Alcaraz played tennis since his shocking US Open exit, and he touched upon that match as well after this double duty. He explained that he had learned great lessons from that match, which should have helped him become a better player overall.
After all, athletes learn more from losses than from wins, and it's a mantra Alcaraz himself likes to repeat often. Time will tell whether he truly did learn a lesson, as some pointed out, it might have been mostly a scheduling problem, with a really packed schedule.
"I tried to take the positive things about my losses in the United States, it has been really tough to find, but I found it. Trying to not make the same mistakes about my level and in the mental side here. Trying to be a little bit more mature, to improve a little bit."
"I'm here with a lot of energy, excited and have motivations to keep going here, to try to be the best No.1 possible for Team Spain and get as much wins as I can as a team."
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