"I'm not changing, that's the problem" - Carlos Alcaraz believes he's "gone backward" after US Open 2R loss

Carlos Alcaraz recently expressed his disappointment in his performance after his defeat in the second round of the 2024 US Open, admitting that he feels he has "gone backward." This loss marks his worst result in all four Grand Slam tournaments this year.

The Spaniard had reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open before falling to Alexander Zverev, and won the French Open and Wimbledon by defeating Zverev and Novak Djokovic in the finals, respectively .

Ahead of his appearance at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz competed in the Cincinnati Open where he was seeded second but suffered a 6-4, 6-7(5), 4-6 defeat in the opening round to Gael Monfils.

At the US Open, the former World No. 1 was seeded third, started strong with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 win in the first round against qualifier Li Tu. He then suffered a shocking loss when he fell to Botic van de Zandschulp 1-6, 5-7, 4-6 in the second round.

During a post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged his struggles with adapting his game and tactics, which he believes contributed to his defeat

"Well in a few matches that I've felt like that. You know after every match that I felt like that I always said the same. I said to learn about it. I have to think about it and if I'm feeling what I'm thinking right now that I'm not changing, that's the problem," Carlos Alcaraz said [4:10].

The Spaniard stated that he needs to learn from the mistakes which caused him to lose the match and make necessary improvements moving forward.

"If I'm going to sit here after the matches, I'm going to feel like I couldn't deal with it, I couldn't change the match or I couldn't push myself up a little bit. So I have to think about it, I have to learn about it, and going to never change is going to be really tough if I want you to improve. So I can't say much about it," he added [4:36].

Carlos Alcaraz also expressed that he feels like instead of going forwards, he has gone backwards in terms of mindset after his loss in the second round of the 2024 US Open. He said that he came into Flushing Meadows with brilliant results on the tour behind him but somehow he had managed to take steps back in the North American hardcourt swing.

"I feel that, instead of taking steps forward, I've gone backward in terms of mindset. I don't know why. I came from a spectacular summer, saying that mentally I had taken steps forward, but I get to this part of the tour, and I take steps back," Carlos Alcaraz said as quoted by Punto de Break (translated from Spanish).

The former World No.1 said that the problem with him right now is that he is not mentally strong which in turn is affecting his game. He stated that all the "demanding matches" he had played this season had taken a mental toll on him.

"Mentally, I'm not well, not strong. This is a problem. Right now, I don't want to say anything. I want to talk to my people and see what steps we take next. I hadn't thought about all the demanding matches being so close together and how that could affect me," he added.

Carlos Alcaraz on his US Open 2R loss: “It was a fight against myself, in my mind, during the match”

Talking about his defeat to Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round of the 2024 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he struggled with mental battles during the match which had led him to lose crucial points.

“It was a fight against myself, in my mind, during the match. I was up in some points. Then I lost some points, I got down. It was a roller coaster in my mind . So I have to improve it. I have to learn about it,” Carlos Alcaraz said [via ATPTour.com].

Alcaraz said that the demanding schedule and playing in consecutive major tournaments like the 2024 French Open, Wimbledon Championships, and Paris Olympics took a significant toll on his body, potentially contributing to his defeat . Despite this, he said that he did not want to make excuses for his performance.

“I’ve been playing a lot of matches lately with Roland Garros, with Wimbledon, Olympic Games. I took a little break after the Olympic Games. I thought it was enough. Probably it wasn't enough. Probably I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to come. But I don't want to put that as excuse,” he added.

Last year, Carlos Alcaraz had reached the semifinals at the US Open before being defeated by eventual runner-up Daniil Medvedev 6-7(3), 1-6, 6-3, 3-6.