"Woke up with soreness all over my body... Been much weaker mentally than normal" - Carlos Alcaraz opens up about shock Madrid Open QF defeat
Carlos Alcaraz recently opened up about his shock Madrid Open quarterfinal loss to Andrey Rublev.
Two-time defending Madrid Open champion Alcaraz went into the match against Rublev as the favorite to progress to the semifinals. The Spaniard looked on course for a routine victory as he clinched the first set 6-4. However, Rublev turned things around in stunning fashion.
The seventh-seeded Russian's serve drastically improved in the second set, and his powerful forehands never allowed Alcaraz the time to settle. After winning the second set 6-3, Rublev further tightened the screw in the third and deciding set, running away with it 6-2 and marking the end of the Spaniard's title defense.
After the match, Alcaraz told the press that his two-hour, 50-minute slugfest against Jan-Lennard Struff in the previous round affected his performance against Rublev. He also said that he had played against Rublev with a cold.
"It has been a difficult day for me. The long and intense match against Struff took its toll on me because it had been a while since I had competed at that level, and today I woke up with soreness all over my body and my forearm there. I also have a cold," Alcaraz said.
However, according to Alcaraz, the main reason behind his loss to Rublev was the lack of mental strength, which led him to complain whenever the going got tough against the Russian.
"The main thing is that I have been much weaker mentally than normal. I became very complaining about not taking advantage of the opportunities," Alcaraz added.
"I rate Andrey Rublev's performance as outstanding" - Carlos Alcaraz
While acknowledging his subpar performance and its impact on the result against Rublev, Alcaraz also heaped praise on the Russian. According to the ATP World No. 3, the Russian's serve dictated the second and third sets. The Spaniard also admitted that the ATP World No. 8 gave him very few opportunities to capitalize on.
"He played really well, his service was incredible and he gave me few opportunities, which I couldn't take advantage of. That was the key to the match," Alcaraz said.
The reigning Wimbledon champion rated Rublev's performance "outstanding" as well.
"I rate his performance as outstanding because it was impossible for me to push him to the limit with my shots," Alcaraz added.
Rublev is set to face Taylor Fritz in the semifinals on Friday, May 3. Fritz defeated Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals to set up the semifinal clash against the Russian.