Carlos Alcaraz has revealed that he wasn’t feeling well during his shocking 6-3, 6-4 Paris Masters second-round loss to Roman Safiullin. The Wimbledon champion was given a bye in the opening round and faces criticism following his disappointing show against his Russian opponent.
After playing professionally for the first time in three weeks, Alcaraz faces the challenge of ousting Novak Djokovic from the top spot in the rankings before the year ends. However, Alcaraz fell short of his usual high standards.
The Spanish player took breaks in every set but was unable to capitalize on them; however, he refused to attribute his lack of success to a physical issue.
He expressed his thoughts in the post-match interview and said: “Not at all. I didn’t feel well, you know, on the court. There are a lot of things to improve and a lot of things to practice. You know, I didn’t feel well, you know, in the game. I think I didn’t move well. In the shots, I think I had a good quality of shots. But, you know, physically, in the part of the movement, I have to improve a lot.”
He further added: “Right now, I’m not at the right time to talk. Honestly, after the loss, I have to take some time, you know, before thinking about the next few days and what I have to do or what I’m going to do. But obviously, before the ATP Finals begin, we have time.”
Alcaraz concluded: “Probably the season has been so, so long. Probably that affects my game. But I don’t know. I think this tournament has a lot of surprises. I don’t know, because if it’s, you know, the end of the season, players are tired, no? But talking about myself, I don’t know, honestly. I have to figure it out, and I’ll try to be better in this part of the year next.”
Carlos Alcaraz says he has to improve a lot of things after his loss to Roman Safiullin:
"Right now I'm not in the right time to talk. Honestly after the loss, I have to take some time, you know, before thinking about the next days & what I have to do or what I'm gonna do.. But… pic.twitter.com/tf3R6nO5TX
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 1, 2023
Carlos Alcaraz in 2023
Currently the world no.2, Carlos played his last match on the 31st of October when he capitulated to world no.45 Roman Safiullin 6-3 6-4 in the 2nd round in Paris (draw).
Currently, during this season the Spaniard has achieved a compiled 63-10 win-loss record. Alcaraz conquered 6 titles in 2023 in Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Wimbledon. The Spaniard got to the final in Rio de Janeiro and Cincinnati.
Carlos Alcaraz |
Embed from Getty Images |