"Felt like I disappointed many people who hoped I would win the gold": Carlos Alcaraz on breaking down in tears after losing Paris Olympics final
Carlos Alcaraz recently opened up about breaking down in tears after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics tennis men's singles competition. The Spaniard finished with a silver medal in his debut at the Games in the men's singles event, alongside a run to the quarterfinals with Rafael Nadal in the men's doubles category.
Alcaraz was seeded second at the Olympic Games in Paris and kicked off his campaign by defeating Hady Habib 6-3, 6-1, and Tallon Griekspoor 6-1, 7-6(3) in the first and second rounds, respectively. He then triumphed over Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-2 in the third round, and overcame ninth seed Tommy Paul 6-3, 7-6(7) in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Alcaraz defeated 13th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-1 to secure his spot in the final. However, in the championship match, the Spaniard fell short against Djokovic, losing 6-7(3), 6-7(2), and settling for the silver medal. Apparently overwhelmed with emotions, Alcaraz broke down in tears after missing out on the gold medal to the Serb.
Speaking to the press after the summit clash, Alcaraz shared that his tears stemmed from his desire to claim the gold medal. He shared how his emotions reflected his feelings toward people's hopes that he carried:
"Well the truth is that obviously I wanted to win. I wanted to win the gold medal in the end. Well yes I have shed some tears, I have felt like I have disappointed many people who had hoped that I would win the gold medal. That's why well some tears have escaped me," Alcaraz said (translated from Spanish).
The four-time Grand Slam champion stated that after he was able to reflect on his Olympic journey, he understood the significance of winning the silver medal, which he described as a "special moment" in his career.
Alcaraz also shared that he is focused on winning the gold medal at the next Olympics, which will take place in 2028 in Los Angeles.
"Have to appreciate the moment, in the end we have won an Olympic medal we have made the medal table, go up a medal, a silver medal. It's true that it's a nice moment right now that I've calmed down, that I really realize what I've achieved and it's a special moment in my life in my career. We're going to try to enjoy this moment but we have to keep working and in Los Angeles we want the gold one," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz: "My moment will come, I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day"
Speaking to the press after his loss to Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics, Carlos Alcaraz said he was proud to win the silver medal for Spain and also shared his thoughts on what he thinks the future holds for him:
“Honestly, I’m pretty proud to be in this position, I’m pretty proud to bring a medal to Spain. I’m pretty sure that my moment will come, and I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day. So I’m going to wait for that moment and I’m going to work for that moment, but right now I have to enjoy lifting the silver medal, it’s pretty amazing as well," Alcaraz said [via ATPTour.com].
Alcaraz also shared his thoughts on how felt about his participation in the Olympic Games as a representative of his country:
“I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain, it was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today," he added.
Following his campaign at the Paris Olympics, Alcaraz, who was scheduled to compete at the 2024 Canadian Open, has withdrawn from the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.