Carlos Alcaraz reveals if losing gold medal to Novak Djokovic at Paris Olympics was the ‘lowest’ he ever felt after a defeat

Ahead of his opening match at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz opened up about his state of mind after he lost to Novak Djokovic in the Olympics.

Carlos Alcaraz reveals if losing gold medal to Novak Djokovic at Paris Olympics was the ‘lowest’ he ever felt after a defeat

Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Images via Imago)

Carlos Alcaraz dealt with the biggest blow of his career when he lost the Paris Olympic final to Novak Djokovic. Alcaraz, who, before that match, had never faced a defeat in a big match like the Grand Slam final, had to take home the silver medal. 

After the defeat, the 21-year-old was failing to control his tears. He is currently in New York for the US Open and ahead of kick-starting his campaign, Alcaraz was again asked about his state of mind, and whether he felt the lowest for the first time following the heartbreaking defeat. 

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But it was a difficult moment to deal with, for me, you know. Losing the gold medal in a really close match where I had opportunities.
Carlos Alcaraz said at a press conference 

Alcaraz then heaped praise on Djokovic, who clinched his first title of the season at the Olympics. The Serb, who played in his last Olympics and who never tasted glory in the quadrennial event before that match, had no time to make errors as he knew giving even the smallest chances to the Spaniard would mean difficulties for him later on. Alcaraz, after fighting hard for his gold medal in his debut Olympics, had to satisfy himself with the silver medal. 

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But, you know, in front of me, I had a perfect player that was fighting for the same thing as me, and he deserved it. So, days after the Olympics, it was. Okay, I realized that I won the silver medal. It was a great achievement for me that I have to be proud of.
Carlos Alcaraz added 

Alcaraz knows how difficult it is for a tennis player to win the gold medal at the Olympics, which is why he now hopes to wear the coveted medal in the next editions. 

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Novak Djokovic has no match practice on hard-court before the US Open 

Novak Djokovic has been skipping tournaments, including the ATP 1000 Masters. Earlier this year, he opted not to feature in several tournaments and instead trained himself for the Grand Slam events. 

Novak Djokovic (6)
Novak Djokovic (Image via Imago)

After the French Open where he injured his knee, he directly entered Wimbledon and reached the final. Then, after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Djokovic skipped both the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open. 

He entered the US Open without match practice on the North American hard-court swing. The 37-year-old will still be one of the favorites, as he will be chasing his fifth US Open and a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.

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