ROME – Carlos Alcaraz has said that he needed a few days to “reset” his mind ahead of the French Open, after being dragged out of his comfort zone and stunned by Hungarian qualifier Fabian Marozsan at the Italian Open on Monday.
The 20-year-old world No. 2 has been in superb form on clay, winning a title in Buenos Aires earlier in the season before triumphing in Barcelona and Madrid ahead of the Rome tournament.
But the Spaniard, who is set to leapfrog Novak Djokovic into top spot in the rankings and take the No. 1 seeding at Roland Garros, struggled against world No. 135 Marozsan to suffer only his second defeat on the surface in 2023.
“I was perfect physically. I just didn’t feel comfortable,” Alcaraz said, following his 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) loss.
“He made me feel uncomfortable on court. He was aggressive all the time.
“It was tough for me to get into the match, into the rally. I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don’t make. Obviously, these days can happen and you have to handle it.
“In the second set, I was close. I had my chances but didn’t take them. He was at the same level all the time. He deserves the win.”
Alcaraz said he was looking forward to some time off ahead of the year’s second Grand Slam, which starts on May 28.
“I’m going to rest a little bit. I need some days to reset my mind, to be fresh for Roland Garros,” he said.
“Of course, to practise. That’s no secret. If I want to have good results in Paris, if I want to go to Paris in good shape, I have to practise.
“I couldn’t practise more than three or four days in a row. I’ve been playing so much. It’s going to be really helpful to have days at home practising and getting ready.”
In other results on Monday, third seed Daniil Medvedev needed a fightback to defeat Spaniard Bernabe Zapata Miralles 3-6, 6-1, 6-3, with the winner producing his best career effort at the tournament by reaching the last 16.
Sixth seed Andrey Rublev defeated Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 7-6 (10-8), 6-3.
It will be the first time since 1994 that no Spaniard has made it to the fourth round at the Italian Open.
“This was my third win on clay from a set down,” five-time Masters 1000 champion Medvedev said.
“I managed to play better – I’m definitely happy with my level.
“I’m playing my best tennis on clay – I’ve never played so well in Rome and I’m feeling great.”
On Tuesday, holder Djokovic blasted past Briton Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-4 in a tense encounter to reach the quarter-finals and remain on track for a seventh title in Rome.
“So far so good,” the Serb said of his progress in the Italian capital.
“Strange conditions. I actually finished my warm-up 10 minutes before I went on the court so I was rushing a bit with everything but we couldn’t play earlier because of the rain.
“I’m just glad to overcome today’s challenge in straight sets and move on.” REUTERS, AFP
