Carlos Alcaraz ‘upset about myself’ in nervy loss at Indian Wells
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Carlos Alcaraz shakes hands with Jack Draper following his semi-final defeat at Indian Wells.
PHOTO: AFP
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INDIAN WELLS – Carlos Alcaraz admitted that nerves played a key role in “one of the worst sets I have played in my career”, as he crashed out of his Indian Wells three-peat bid on March 15.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, the young but experienced Spaniard said that he was too focused on what weapons British left-hander Jack Draper might bring and he was unable to calm the pre-match jitters that prevented him from rising to the occasion.
Draper, ranked 14th in the world, beat Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 in the semi-finals to end the world No. 3’s dream of joining Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight titles in the California desert.
“Obviously I wanted to win the third in a row, but I can’t pretend (that I can) win every match. I am not as upset about not getting the third one in a row. I am upset about myself, about the way that I approached the match, the way that I felt during the whole day, that I couldn’t calm down myself,” Alcaraz said.
“That is, for me, the most disappointed thing that I’m feeling right now, because (it) is probably one of the worst sets that I have played in my whole career, the first set. That means how nervous I was before the match, during the whole day. It’s really disappointing.”
In a place he described this week as “peaceful”, Alcaraz added that he was on edge all day and warmed up poorly before the match.
“I always say that I have to be focused on myself, on my own game. I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself,” he revealed.
“When you’re thinking more about the opponent than yourself, then it’s a big problem... he’s really tough, really solid, and it was going to be a really physical match.”
The result was an erratic effort from Alcaraz, who had sailed through his first three matches with the loss of just 14 games before pulling off a tighter quarter-final victory over Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.
“It was a strange match in all honesty,” Draper, 23, said. “Carlos came out a little flat, I sensed that.”
On his own game, he added: “I want to really achieve some consistency and get to the point where I’m pushing these top players in the world in the biggest tournaments. That’s the goal.”
Looking ahead, the 21-year-old Alcaraz said he was also still working to find ways to maintain his highest level more consistently.
“I’m improving. I’m getting more mature. I still sometimes (am) playing such a really high level, and then my level goes down a lot. So I have to think about it. I have to keep working, keep going,” said Alcaraz, who insisted he would shake off the defeat and be ready for the Miami Open starting on March 19.
“I consider myself a person who learns from the fails, from the losses. The last time that I lost here was the semi-final (in 2022), and after all, I won Miami, so I think I will go for it. I will make the most of myself in Miami.”
Draper, who reached the first Masters 1000 final of his career, faced Denmark’s Holger Rune on March 16 with the title clash starting after press time.
World No. 13 Rune triumphed 7-5, 6-4 over No. 6 Daniil Medvedev, who had been runner-up the last two years. AFP, REUTERS
