Carlos Alcaraz admits he ‘couldn’t handle the pressure’ as he loses in Montreal
Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he ‘couldn’t handle’ the pressure of being a top seed as he crashed out of the Canadian Open.
Alcaraz was well short of his best tennis as Tommy Paul earned a 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 win in the Spaniard’s opening match of the tournament.
This year has seen an incredible rise for Alcaraz, who came into the tournament as the world number four. However, that brings its own challenges – as he is now discovering.
“I felt the pressure to be the number two seed in this kind of tournament, number four in the world,” Alcaraz said. “It was the first time that I felt that pressure, and I couldn’t handle it.
“All I can say from this match is I have to train, I have to be ready to have this pressure, to have these kinds of moments, and to learn how to handle it.
Carlos Alcaraz has joined fellow top seeds Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in making early exits.
In fact, it is the first time this century that all top three seeds have lost their opening matches at at Masters.
He, though, says he felt he was fighting with himself as much as he was Tommy Paul, who he admitted was a deserved winner.
It was the first time that I couldn’t handle the pressure… I have to be ready to have this pressure, to have this kind of moments, and to learn how to handle it! ?? pic.twitter.com/dLypEV1Ihg
— Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) August 10, 2022
“I could say I couldn’t show my best performance here,” he explained.
“But as I said, first rounds, you have to fight against your opponent and of course against yourself.
“Obviously it was tough to handle those moments knowing that I’m not playing my 100 per cent. It was a fight with myself.”
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