Alcaraz says he needs a break to come back stronger at the ATP Nitto Finals
The Spanish superstar admitted being disappointed after losing to Roman Safiulin in the first round of the Paris Masters.
Being kicked out of a tournament in the opening round is always a bitter pill to swallow, and for someone as successful as Carlos Alcaraz, it couldn’t be an exception.
The 20-year-old player traveled to Paris looking to make a good tournament in the French capital and try to take the world No. 1 spot back from Novak Djokovic before the end of the year.
That objective is now even further, as he was defeated by Roman Safiulin in the very first round of the event against all odds, with the Murcia native being unable to figure out the Russian’s game.
The two-time major winner ended up losing in straight sets, tasting back-to-back defeats after losing to Grigor Dimitrov last time out in Shanghai.
Alcaraz: a break needed to improve
After being eliminated from Paris, Alcaraz didn’t bite his tongue in the post-match press conference and openly said he didn’t feel like he expected on the court.
“There are days like this, but it’s difficult for me to exit like this in a tournament where I hoped I could reach the final. It’s a failure, and it hurts. I am disappointed by my level and how I felt on the court”, he admitted.
The tennis calendar is close to reaching the end, but the ATP Nitto Finals will be played before that. It’s considered the best tournament after the four majors, as it features the best eight players in the world. Alcaraz hopes to get to Turin in better shape to be able to have real chances to fight for the title.
“I have many things to improve if I want to have decent chances at the ATP Finals. I came to Paris with the clear idea to play in the ATP Finals with an option to be back at the No. 1 spot in the rankings. I think my chances are gone now”, he stated.
But how can he improve before the tournament gets started? According to Carlitos, taking a small break might be the solution, as he admitted feeling tired when he played Safiulin:
“I have time before the ATP Finals, a lot of days of practice to be able to reach the level that I want to play. But right now, I’m not at the right time to talk about it. Honestly after the loss, I have to take some time”.
“(...) I have a lot of things to improve and a lot of things to practice. I didn’t feel well in the game and above all I think I didn’t move well. I had good shots. But, physically, when it comes to movement, I have to improve a lot. I felt very slow against a player that kept a high level during the entire match”, he added.
Alcaraz is 63-10 this year, a match record that is still better than last season’s 57-13, which was good enough for him to finish 2022 as the world No. 1.