Carlos Alcaraz Gives Reasons Behind His Loss to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Final

Carlos Alcaraz sprayed more than 80 unforced errors in the Monte Carlo final against Jannik Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz Gives Reasons Behind His Loss to Jannik Sinner at the Monte Carlo Final

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, The Independent)

Carlos Alcaraz has so often been the man for the big occasion in his historic early career The Spaniard completed his career Grand Slam at the Australian Open, making him the youngest player to do so. But at the Monte Carlo Masters, he failed to play his best tennis on the court, making uncharacteristic errors against Jannik Sinner.

The Spaniard had beaten Sinner four times last year and held an incredible 82 percent winning rate on clay. He was the favorite to win the Monte Carlo Masters, but before the championship clash against Sinner, he had been notching unnecessary unforced errors on the court which were worrying.

Against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the round of 16, he spayed a total of 47 unforced errors, 23 in just the second set. He got better in the semi-finals, committing just nine unforced errors on the court. But it grew worse in the final against Sinner as he hit 45 unforced errors in the second set alone.

In fact, he led Sinner 3-1 in the second set and was set to serve to extend his lead but double-faulted twice to give the Italian star the momentum, something that’s very rare from Alcaraz. In the match, he reached 83 unforced errors, his highest in a match this season and that cost him dearly against Sinner.

Sinner claimed a 7-6(5), 6-3 win to earn his first Monte Carlo Masters title and his third consecutive Masters 1000 title. That also means Sinner is the new World No.1, while Alcaraz drops to No.2. During Alcaraz’s post-match press conference, he narrated that he lost his momentum in the most important moment of the match:

I would say that the important moments, the important points, I didn’t play well. I think I had so many opportunities in the match that I didn’t take it. So many games, points, so many 15/30, Love/30. I think the first tie-break, I didn’t play well and I think he just played unbelievable tennis when it mattered. I think that was the key today. I think today was really difficult conditions, because I just consider myself that I play great tennis when there is a lot of wind.

Alcaraz returned to the court after beating Vacherot in the semi-finals. According to reports, he was trying to fine-tune his game because he felt there were lapses here and there. However, that didn’t change anything, he will have the chance to find his perfect game at the Barcelona Open this week.

Carlos Alcaraz admits the windy conditions made it tricky for him in Monte Carlo

After the Monte Carlo Masters, British legend Andy Murray noted that the win played a major role in deciding the match. Pointing out that Jannik Sinner is known for powerful serves on tour which didn’t affect his display, but Carlos Alcaraz prefers to use lob, spin, and forehand accuracy, which can be easily altered by the wind.

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

Alcaraz struggled to get his game tactics perfectly on the court, which played into the hands of Sinner. He revealed during the aforementioned interview that the wind made it tricky for him to play his best on the court, while praising Sinner for his incredible performance at the Country Club:

One point you play a point with the wind helping and the next point it was totally opposite. So it was tricky to understand where the wind goes. We have seen Jannik’s level on clay and I think he’s been improving a lot year by year. I think he’s reaching a level on clay that is going to be really dangerous for everybody. I’m not surprised at all, because we could see last year in Roland Garros the level he played.

Alcaraz now leads Sinner 10-7 in their head-to-head record and 3-2 on clay. Alcaraz last defeated the Italian star on the red dirt at the Roland Garros last year where he came from two sets down to win the tie. Sinner has been unbeaten since February. He has dropped just one set in three tournaments.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Reveals His Clay Schedule Plans after Monte Carlo Final Defeat