Carlos Alcaraz assessed his performance after he suffered an early exit from the Paris Masters.
The Spaniard was looking to win his second Masters 1000 tournament of the year and fifth title of the season.
But his hopes were dashed as Ugo Humbert produced an inspiring performance to claim arguably the biggest win of his career.
In two hours and 16 minutes, Humbert defeated World number two Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to advance to the Paris Masters quarter-finals.
What did Carlos Alcaraz say about his Paris Masters performance?
Carlos Alcaraz lost the opening set in just 26 minutes, before composing himself and taking the second set.
The Spaniard was unable to capitalise on his chance in set three and he had no answer to Humbert raising his level in the final two games to seal the win.
Post-match Alcaraz mentioned the Paris Masters’ court speed as a contributing factor in his defeat, as he struggled to adapt to the conditions.
“It is very difficult to play in these conditions. For me, for my level, I try to change up as much as I can to this court, to this speed. I thought that it suits my game pretty well, but it doesn’t,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“When I play against someone like Ugo that he doesn’t let you, you know, get rhythm into the match, he plays probably, every time at his 100%, really flat. So I couldn’t play good tennis.
“You know, I practice at home but it isn’t the same… So I’m not surprised about my level, about my game, but I’m surprised about everything a little bit.”
On Friday, Alcaraz took to X to congratulate his opponent on an excellent win. “Congratulations @HumbertUgo for the win last night and good luck for the rest of the tournament!,” he wrote.
How do Carlos Alcaraz’s results differ on the quickest courts this season?
Earlier in the tournament Alcaraz complained about the court speed at the Paris Masters, which is the thickest court on the tour in 2024.
According to TennisTV, the Paris Masters’s Court Pace Index (CPI) 45.5 points, which is the fastest court measured in the last 10 years.
The closest number to this was the 2016 Shanghai Masters, which reached 44.4 points, while the Cincinnati Masters registered 42.5 points in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023.
While the Grand Slams do not share their court speed, it is known that the Australian Open and open and Wimbledon have the fastest courts.
While Alcaraz made the last 16 in Paris, he also struggled in Cincinnati, where he lost his opening round match to Gael Monfils.
In Shanghai, Alcaraz reached the quarter-finals where Tomas Machac played an unbeliever match to defeat him.
At the fastest Grand Slams, the Spaniard suffered a four set defeat to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarter-finals, but Alcaraz successfully defended the Wimbledon title in July.
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