Carlos Alcaraz is unhappy with the small mistakes he made after Alexander Zverev eliminated him from the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz and Zverev's match was a high-quality battle. Before the contest, their head-to-head was locked at 5-5, and there have been several tight, thrilling tussles between them.
The pair's most recent meeting before their ATP Finals match was at the French Open. Alcaraz triumphed in five sets at Roland-Garros despite trailing 6-3, 2-6, 5-7 at one stage.
That loss was painful for Zverev, but he has had his share of success against Alcaraz. The German beat him in four sets at this year's Australian Open quarterfinal and also triumphed in three sets at the 2023 ATP Finals.
Despite Alcaraz's superb achievements at the age of just 21, Zverev was the favorite ahead of their latest meeting for two reasons. Firstly, the Spaniard's weakest surface is indoor hardcourts. He has yet to reach an ATP indoor final.
Secondly, Alcaraz struggled with an illness in his previous matches. It visibly impacted him during a straight-sets defeat to Casper Ruud, and he was also not at 100% despite battling to a win against Andrey Rublev in his next match.
The two-time Wimbledon champion's illness had not fully cleared against Zverev. He needed to produce something special to triumph while unwell since Zverev entered the ATP Finals having won the Paris Masters, which was played on an indoor hard court.
Alcaraz played well against Zverev in Turin, but it was not enough to prevent defeat. A 6-7, 4-6 loss eliminated him from the ATP Finals, and his opponent won the group with three victories.
Some players might have been content to compete and lost respectably against a quality player like Zverev while unwell. But Alcaraz's high standards and superb mentality partially explain why he is a four-time Grand Slam champion.
Speaking to Movistar Plus after the defeat, Alcaraz outlined how frustrated he was with the little errors he made that allowed Zverev to win close sets that could have gone either way.
"Those little errors, those little details make all the difference. Can’t happen in those moments."
Alcaraz hopes to fully recover from his illness and be in the best shape possible for next week's Davis Cup Finals on home soil in Malaga. Team Spain is scheduled to face Team Netherlands on November 19th.
The Davis Cup Finals are always important, no matter what, but this year, they are even more significant because it will be Rafael Nadal's final appearance before retiring. Alcaraz is expected to play doubles alongside his legendary compatriot.
That makes Alcaraz even more determined to avoid the small mistakes that were decisive in his loss against Zverev. The 2022 US Open champion's general game was pretty solid, and if he recovers from his illness, he could be even better in Malaga.
"I will try to not repeat this errors in Davis Cup Finals. I grow when I represent Spain. I want to help the team and win the Davis Cup."