Andy Roddick feels people should cut Carlos Alcaraz some slack for breaking down in Cincinnati Open final against Novak Djokovic as he is still figuring out his body

Carlos Alcaraz lost to his nemesis Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati Open final.

Andy Roddick feels people should cut Carlos Alcaraz some slack for breaking down in Cincinnati Open final against Novak Djokovic as he is still figuring out his body

Carlos Alcaraz, Andy Roddick (Images via The Mirror, The Cut)

Carlos Alcaraz has been facing the heat after the 20-year-old lost to Novak Djokovic in the Cincinnati Open final after a gripping game that went for over four hours. While Alcaraz started the game on a high winning the first set 7-5, a drop in intensity and physical fatigue was noticeable in the third and final set. 

Although Alcaraz forced the second and the third set into tiebreakers, he could not seize the crucial moments and ended up on the wrong side of the result. This defeat seemed to affect Alcaraz as the Spaniard was seen in tears. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old took it on the chin and took his learnings. 

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Meanwhile, the debate around Alcaraz losing it against a 16-year-older opponent has started. While many have pulled the youngster’s leg, former World No.1 Andy Roddick has asked people to cut Alcaraz some slack. Roddick feels that there should not be a lot of talk about Alcaraz’s physical breakdown as he is still figuring out his body. 

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“There’s two things. We shouldn’t criticize Carlos too much. It was extremely physical, he played a long three-setter yesterday, the day before that, the day before that, the day before that. And now that’s on the side now,” Roddick stated on the Tennis Channel. “So, we do need to give Carlos the appropriate amount of time to figure out his body. I changed midway through, diet can make a huge difference, but it’s trial and error, right?” Roddick added.

Also Read: Novak Djokovic’s Cincinnati title has hurt Carlos Alcaraz badly claims Greg Rusedski

Andy Roddick sees progress in Carlos Alcaraz’s defeat

carlos alcaraz queens club
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via Tennis Infinity)

The former World No.1 further elaborated on Carlos Alcaraz’s progress and said that the 20-year-old has already taken some big leaps. Andy Roddick drew comparisons between Jannik Sinner, Cameron Norrie, and Alcaraz and how the latter has improved his physical strength over time. 

“Listen, Carlos is already an hour and a half better than he is normally in extreme conditions when he gets to cramps. [Jannik] Sinner was like 2:20 [2022 US Open quarterfinals], [Cameron] Norrie last year was 2:20 at this exact tournament [quarterfinals]. 

“The French Open, it was about the 2:20 mark. Now we’re talking about the 3:50 mark, same problem but it’s getting better. That’s progress,” he concluded.

Notably, not just French Open and Cincinnati Masters, Carlos Alcaraz also played for a massive 4 hours and 42 minutes during the Wimbledon final and eventually won it.

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