“Mentally I am screwed,” Carlos Alcaraz shares damning verdict after his Miami opening round loss against David Goffin
Carlos Alcaraz falls to a disappointing 7-5, 4-6, 3-6 loss against David Goffin in his opening round of the Miami Open.
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Carlos Alcaraz and David Goffin (via Tennis Majors)
Carlos Alcaraz succumbed to a second consecutive loss in the Sunshine Double. The Spaniard was hoping to bounce back from his semifinal defeat against Jack Draper in Indian Wells, but he failed to do so against David Goffin at the Miami Open. The World No.1 made no excuse for his loss as he put the blame on his poor performance.
Alcaraz was one of the favorites to win the Miami Open because Jannik Sinner is under suspension. The Spaniard had failed to defend the Indian Wells title and was seeking to bounce back immediately. He was on the track of doing so after winning the first set 7-5 against Goffin in the second round of the Miami Open.
The 21-year-old was expected to keep up with the momentum but Goffin’s serve was the Achilles heel of his downfall. The Belgian hit 65 percent first serve, which was a key confidence booster. He overturned the match, edging the four-time Grand Slam champion 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.
It was Alcaraz’s first loss this season to a player outside the Top 30 in the ATP rankings. He holds a 9-1 record against players in that rank. After the loss, he revealed that he felt bad personally about his performance, adding that he was mentally screwed.
I don’t yet know how the next few days will be for me; there will be time to analyze what happened and also to forget it. I know this part of the season very well; I’ve played great tennis in the past at these tournaments, but after what happened today, I’m not sure what to say. Mentally, I’m screwed, honestly; this is a tournament where I want to do well, and losing in the first round hurts a lot.
Carlos Alcaraz said via Miami Open Press
Goffin’s victory over Alcaraz now sees the Belgian own a 2-1 lead over Alcaraz in their head-to-head record. He will now take on American star Brandon Nakashima in the third round of the ATP 1000 tournament.
Carlos Alcaraz blames himself for his first round loss at the Miami Open
Despite Carlos Alcaraz’s second-round loss, it is worth understanding that he had the victory in his hands after the first set. He was in total control of the match until he let it slip away from him in the second set. A player of his experience and quality was meant to do one thing, which is maintaining the intensity. He failed to do so and was not pleased with himself.
It was a very poor performance on my part, I admit it, he was a better player than me. After the first set, I think he started to play better while my level declined, even though he was already playing well. His serving percentage helped him a lot to raise the level, but overall, I think it was a very poor performance on my part. I didn’t play well, and I didn’t feel good physically either. In these kinds of matches, when you don’t feel that confidence either in terms of tennis skills or physically, everything becomes much harder.
Carlos Alcaraz added
The World No.3 would now take his time away from the court and plan better for the European clay season. He only has one title out of a possible five this season, which is somewhat of a downer knowing that Sinner has been away due to suspension.
Carlos Alcaraz now sets focus on the European clay swing
Carlos Alcaraz’s failure to claim silverware and defend his points in the Sunshine Double leaves him very disappointed with himself. However, the World No.3 will return to Europe with a mindset of bouncing back. April will mark the start of the European clay swing, a section of the year he missed the majority of last year due to injury.
He’s expected to compete at the Monte Carlo Masters first before featuring at the Barcelona Open. After that, he will then play at the Madrid Open and Italian Open, where Jannik Sinner is due to return from suspension. These tournaments will be a build-up to the French Open, where he’s the defending champion.
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