Carlos Alcaraz Admits He’s a Bit Annoyed with the Level of his Opponents this Season

Carlos Alcaraz crashes out of the Miami Open in the opening rounds for the second consecutive year.

Carlos Alcaraz Admits He’s a Bit Annoyed with the Level of his Opponents this Season

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

Carlos Alcaraz’s shocking third-round loss at the Miami Open is the biggest story of the tournament so far. The Spaniard, who was among the favorites to win the event saw his hopes shattered as Sebastian Korda produced one of his sublime performances to oust the World No.1 in three sets.

Before arriving for the Miami Open, Alcaraz had suffered a semi-final loss against Daniil Medvedev at the Indian Wells Open. The 22-year-old lost at the tournament for the second consecutive time having collapsed in the last four of the tournament. However, he was tipped to bounce back immediately in Miami.

At the Masters 1000 tournament in Miami, he showed mental resilience by beating Joao Fonseca in straight sets. Fonseca tried using his aggressive style of play to force World No.1 into making mistakes, but Alcaraz’s athleticism and talent prevailed in the end. With that form, he faced Korda, who gave his all on the court.

Korda forced Alcaraz deep in his baseline, while taking risks in neutralizing the Spaniard’s drop shot tactics. The American star defeated Alcaraz 3-6, 8-5, 6-4. Nonetheless, Korda’s display was far from his usual performance on the court. Alcaraz had complained at the Indian Wells Open that players were playing at a high level against him this season.

He added that they played like Roger Federer against him but do not do the same against other players on tour. During his post-match press conference in Miami, he was asked if he experienced the same thing as a fascinating high-level performance against Korda. The seven-time Grand Slam champion admitted that he’s growing annoyed with the pattern of performance against him this season:

Well, truth be told, it’s not very nice (smiling). It’s a bit annoying, but you have to accept it. You have to move on and give your all. Fortunately, I feel I have many weapons, many things I can do on the court to try to make him uncomfortable. Although today, truthfully, I couldn’t figure it out. But I know from now on they’re going to play like that. I just have to be prepared, as I said. Even if he played, I would say, above his usual level, I was there.

Korda will face qualifier Martin Landaluce in the fourth round. He has never gone past the quarter-finals of the Miami Open in his career. Landaluce, who defeated Karen Khachanov in the third round, will be a difficult test for Korda, who has been largely inconsistent this season. However, should Korda beat the Landaluce, he could face Taylor Fritz in the quarter-finals.

Carlos Alcaraz says lapses cost him in his third-round loss in Miami

Carlos Alcaraz has lost just two matches this season. Before his first loss at the Indian Wells Open, he had gone on 16 match winning streak. He had won the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. But a bit of fatigue, has seen him fail to manage matches in recent weeks. Against Sebastian Korda, he was broken in the seventh game.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/CARLOS ALCARAZ NEWS)

In fact, he led 3-3 (30-0) before Korda gained momentum and found his way to win the set. Should he had won that game, perhaps it would have been a different story at the end of the match. Nonetheless, Alcaraz was impressed with his attitude on the court. He revealed during the aforementioned press conference that lapses led to his loss:

Well, I think I simply played a good match, so to speak. There were just some moments where I think he played wonderfully and I didn’t execute well. There were many 30-30, 40-40, and break points that I just couldn’t seize. But, obviously, one must consider the other side of the net. I think at that point Sebi played magnificently, at an incredible level. With my team, we talked a bit. We saw in all the parts, throughout the match, what I did very well and what I did right.

Alcaraz will be back on the court for the Monte Carlo Masters next month. He won the Monte Carlo title last year after defeating Lorenzo Musetti in the final. After the tournament, he’s expected to play the Barcelona Open and the Madrid Open, two tournaments where he reached the championship match.

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