Patrick Mouratoglou Analyzes Carlos Alcaraz’s “Bad Day” Upset at the Rolex Paris Masters
Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of the Rolex Paris Masters after a three-set loss to Cameron Norrie.
Follow Us
Carlos Alcaraz and Patrick Mouratoglou (via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K/Eurosport)
🔍 Explore this post with:
Carlos Alcaraz’s poor run at the Rolex Paris Masters continued after he crashed out of the tournament following his loss to Cameron Norrie in the second round. The World No. 1 has never gone past the quarter-finals of the indoor hard court tournament. Serena Williams’ former coach Patrick Mouratoglou has now revealed that Alcaraz just had a bad day on the court.
Last year, Alcaraz had won just one match at the tournament before falling to eventual runners-up Ugo Humbert in the round of 16. But this year, the 22-year-old was expected to get to the final because he had reached eight consecutive tournament finals, including two Grand Slams.
But on Tuesday (October 29), Alcaraz began his match against Norrie strongly, breaking the British star early before claiming the first set. But after that, he began to hit a flurry of errors, giving his opponent a chance to break him twice in the second set and forcing a decider. In the third set, Alcaraz struggled to play with his usual confidence.
On many occasions, Alcaraz turned to his team box for answers but couldn’t do the needful on the court. He registered 54 unforced errors against the World No.31, leaving Norrie to capitalize on them and claim the biggest win of his career, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, earning his place in the round of 16 of the Rolex Paris Masters.
In a video posted on Instagram, Patrick Mouratoglou explained that players do have a bad day on the court and that it was the same with Alcaraz. Despite putting in efforts to correct things in the match, he kept making uncharacteristic errors, which led to his loss against the former British No.1:
Everyone has a bad day, including the champions. The difference is, champions win. 54 unforced errors for Carlos in three sets — it’s way too much… On the bad days, when you’re making too many unforced errors, you have to accept to grind, accept to move a little bit back, accept to work the point more, and find a way to win ugly. I feel that if Carlos was in a Grand Slam, he would have found a solution because he would have tried a bit more.
The Paris Masters loss was Alcaraz’s first on tour since claiming his eighth title of the season at the Tokyo Open. He defeated Taylor Fritz in the final but had to shake off an ankle injury scare after jarring his ankle during his opening match against Argentina’s Sebastian Baez. He will now hope to bounce back at the ATP Finals in Turin.
Carlos Alcaraz disappointed with his performance against Cameron Norrie at the Paris Masters
Carlos Alcaraz’s loss to Cameron Norrie came as a big shock to tennis fans, as he was expected to play at his best, considering the fact that the Paris Masters had a new venue. Previously, the event was known as one of the fastest Indoor courts on tour, but after the work, it became a slow-paced court rather than the usual fast court.
Also, Alcaraz has arrived at the tournament almost a week before it commenced and had enough preparation. After crashing out of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he revealed that he was very disappointed with his performance on the court, while also adding that he had a clear goal before the loss:
I’m really disappointed about my level. I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear but even in the first set which I won, I felt I could do a lot more than I actually did. I have to give credit to Cam. He played really well, a solid match, and I think that was the key.
Alcaraz has yet to win the ATP Finals title in his career. Following his loss at the Paris Masters, he will be seeking to make a good comeback at the season-ending tournament in Turin, while also aiming to end the season on a high note.
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)