Carlos Alcaraz was enjoying a fantastic season last year up until the hard-court swing in North America, where he suffered a dip in form.
After winning his second consecutive Wimbledon title and clinching a silver medal at the Olympics, Alcaraz was scheduled to play the Canadian Open, but withdrew to recover from the busy summer.
The Spaniard then entered the Cincinnati Open, where he crashed out in the first round to ATP veteran Gael Monfils.
Having featured in just one tour-level match since July that year, Alcaraz began his US Open campaign, which started off with a victory over Li Tu.
In round two, however, his opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp, beat him in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4.
It was a bizarre and shocking result for the 2022 US Open champion, who reflected on his loss to the Dutchman after the match.
Carlos Alcaraz’s reaction to losing in the second round at the 2024 US Open
He was asked in a press conference following the bout: “Did you not feel 100%?”
Alcaraz responded: “I don’t know what to say right now. I mean, first of all, I think he played great.
“He played really good tennis. I thought he was going to give me more points. I’m going to say more free points, you know.
“He didn’t make a lot of mistakes that I thought he was going to do. So I was, you know, confused a little bit. I didn’t know how to manage that, how to deal with it. I couldn’t increase my level.
“I think my level stayed at the same point all the match, and it wasn’t enough to win the match or to give myself the chance to get into the match or trying to give myself chances.
“So, you know, what can I say? I didn’t feel well hitting the ball. I think I made a lot of mistakes. When I wanted to come back, or I think I wanted to come back, it was too late.”
He continued: “It was a fight against myself, you know, in my mind during the match. In tennis, you are playing against someone who wants the same as you, to win the match, and you have to be as calm as you can, just to think better in the match and try to do good things.
“Today I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, you know, in my mind. I mean, a lot of emotions that I couldn’t control.
“It was kind of I was up in some points. Then I lose some points; I get down. It was a roller coaster, let’s say, in my mind.
“So I can’t be like that if I want to think about big things, so I have to improve it. I have to learn about it.”
Carlos Alcaraz said he came into the US Open in 2024 with ‘not much energy’
A reporter said to Alcaraz: Just looking back at the schedule of Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympics, as busy as it was, do you feel like, in retrospect, you came into this tournament with less energy than you might have in years past?
The young star replied: “Probably, the tennis schedule is so tight. I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately, you know, with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games.
Carlos Alcaraz’s 2024 Summer:
- Roland Garros: May 26th – June 9th
- Queen’s: June 18th – June 20th
- Wimbledon: July 1st – July 14th
- Olympic Games: July 27th – August 4th
- Cincinnati Open: August 16th
- US Open: August 28th – August 30th
“I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. It was really helpful for me. Probably it wasn’t enough.
“Probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought I was going to come. But, I mean, I don’t want to put that as an excuse.
“It’s so tight. Probably I’m a guy or I’m a player that needs more days or more breaks coming into the good tournaments or the important ones. So I have to think about it, and I have to learn about it. That’s it.”
This year, Alcaraz will have the chance to close the gap on Jannik Sinner in the world rankings, with just 60 points to defend in the hard-court swing.
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