Carlos Alcaraz is out of the 2024 Cincinnati Open after a woeful performance, which the Spaniard described as 'the worst match he's ever played.'
It's hard to say whether it was truly the worst match that the 21-year-old from Murcia has ever played, but it certainly wasn't his best match or anything close to it. The final set was terrible, and he knew it, which is why he got so angry about it.
He smashed his racket violently after falling behind 1-3, and that paints a clear picture. He's not a player who smashes his racket, which makes sense as he rarely has a reason to do so.
This time around, he had every reason to do so because he was quite annoyed by what was happening on the tennis court. Alcaraz arrived in Cincinnati hoping to repeat last year's run to the final, but he left after only one match.
The Spaniard was hugely disappointed, and he didn't mince his words when speaking about his loss after the match. He described the match as the worst he's ever played in his career, which speaks volumes about his disappointment.
"It was really tough for me. I feel like it was the worst match that I have ever played in my career. I couldn't play honestly. I've been practicing really well in this tournament. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, and moving well."
The conditions also troubled him slightly, which isn't a huge surprise. The tournament director described this year's Cincinnati Open as probably the fastest ever, which annulled the players' familiarity with the courts.
The conditions last year and this year were very different, and Alcaraz had some trouble with that, which made it difficult to repeat the last year's final at the ATP Masters 1000 event.
"Probably I felt like it was another sport playing on the centre court than the other courts. The balls were faster on the centre court, bounce much more than other courts."
Alcaraz played on the main court in Cincinnati, which is the fastest of all of them, and he couldn't get used to it. Not in time to turn around the match, so he lost in three sets to the experienced Frenchman.
Even with the loss, Alcaraz didn't lose his confidence, as he ultimately admitted that his approach doesn't change. He comes to every event believing that he can win it, and this loss won't change his feelings about the US Open, as it shouldn't.
This loss might even prove a blessing in disguise, as he is likely to take things a bit more seriously right now. He will probably practice a lot until the US Open, and that might work out well for him in the end.
"As I said honestly, I came here thinking that, well, I'm going to feel good and play good tennis because I'm used to playing on this court. I know how to play on this court, but I felt like it was a totally different surface and sport, and it couldn't happen. My mind and feeling is that I can win any tournament."
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