TENNIS | US OPEN
Carlos Alcaraz explains shock US Open exit
The Spanish tennis star reflected on his surprise second round loss to Van de Zandschulp in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Carlos Alcaraz, disappointed after his shock second-round loss at the US Open to Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, faced the media close to midnight in New York. In a nearly full main press room, the 21-year-old from Murcia reflected critically on his performance, seemingly being harder on himself than any of his critics, showing the humility and honesty that has characterised him since he first made headlines.
Alcaraz: “I have to think about it. I have to learn about it.”
On how he felt: “At the beginning of the match, I struggled to find my range. I made a lot of mistakes, especially with distance, not seeing the ball well. I was either hitting it too far back or too far in front. I rarely hit the ball in the sweet spot.
The same happened with returns – I felt like the ball was slipping away from me, that I wasn’t positioning myself well. It’s a really strange feeling. Right now, I feel like instead of moving forward, I’ve taken steps back in terms of my mental game. And I don’t understand why. I came off a spectacular summer, from Roland Garros and Wimbledon, feeling like I’d made progress mentally, realizing that to win big things or Grand Slams, you need to be mentally tough. But coming into this tour, it feels like I’ve taken steps backward. Mentally, I’m not strong right now. One of the problems I have is that I don’t know how to control or manage this, and that’s a real issue for me.”
On the physical and mental strain: “I need to figure out exactly what has happened or what is happening to me. The truth is, it’s been a summer full of emotions, very demanding as I’ve said. The tennis calendar is very tight, everything comes so quickly. I’ve had my moments of disconnect. But I think I’m still getting to know myself, and maybe as a person, I need more time. I need to learn what I need at every moment.
Maybe I’m the type of person for whom a packed schedule isn’t good, or I might be demanding too much of myself mentally. I need to figure out exactly what’s going on, but honestly, I hadn’t considered that this continuous pressure might be affecting me.”
On finding solutions: “Right now, I don’t want to say anything because if I say something, it could turn out to be the complete opposite. I don’t know. I need to talk to the people close to me, my team, and see what steps we need to take. We’re going to keep going, of course – I have tournaments ahead, but honestly, I don’t want to think about any of that right now.”
Who does Van de Zandschulp play next?
Van de Zandschulp won the match in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, in a shocked Arthur Ashe Stadium at Flushing Meadows. He now advances to the third round where he’ll face Britain’s Jack Draper, seeded 25, who also won in straight-sets, beating Argentina’s Facundo Diaz Acosta.