Miami

Alcaraz after Miami defeat: 'How am I feeling? Dreadful'

Barely an hour had passed since the end of his first match at this year’s Miami Open presented by Itau, and Carlos Alcaraz was already clear on many of the reasons for his 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 defeat to David Goffin.

The majority of the blame lies, it seems, in unexpected fatigue in his legs from the second set, and his inconsistency throughout the match - his 90th in an ATP Masters 1000. But also in the impressive performance from the Belgian, who had not reached the third round of the tournament since 2019.

“Simply, the guy played great tennis,” World No. 3 Alcaraz said in his press conference. “I didn’t make the most of the chances he gave me and in the end, tennis is based on taking opportunities. If you don’t make the most of them, you allow your opponent to relax and play with confidence. I think that’s what happened today.

“After the 7-5 [first set], I didn’t have any break points in the match. That gives you an idea of how little pressure I put on his serve. In the end, when you let your opponent play good tennis, and you don’t put them under any pressure, it’s very unlikely you’ll win.”

After the first set, Alcaraz was only able to reach deuce twice when he was returning, according to Infosys ATP Stats. On the other hand, on his own serve he was made to suffer by the initiative of the No. 55 in the PIF ATP Rankings, who broke him four times in their match.

“It’s true that I didn’t play well and my level was poor, but you have to give some credit to David," Alcaraz added. "I think he has a game that’s hard to play, even though it may not look like it. It’s hard to face. Tonight he was very solid from start to finish. I thought his level would drop a little, but because I didn’t put him under pressure, I think he stayed confident throughout and it didn’t drop.”

It's not the first time Goffin has hurt Alcaraz. In their last Lexus ATP Head2Head encounter, in Astana in 2022, the former No. 7 in the world beat him in straight sets. However, it would appear that this result has had a greater effect on Alcaraz than the one three years ago, particularly because of his level and because of where the defeat was inflicted.

“How am I feeling? Dreadful. Dreadful because of this defeat and because this is a tournament I always want to do well at, and losing my first match hurts,” added Alcaraz, who had not fallen at the first hurdle at this event since his first appearance in 2021.

Such is the impact of this result on him that his opinion of his season has shifted, despite having arrived at the event with one title (Rotterdam) from four tournaments, plus semi-finals in Indian Wells (l. to Draper), and quarter-finals at the Australian Open and in Doha.

“This first part of the season... I said that I felt I was playing good tennis. I was feeling good, but after this defeat, I don’t know what to say,” explained Alcaraz, who is currently unsure how he will deal with his early elimination: “I’m not sure whether, in the coming days, I’ll analyse it or try to forget about it. We’ll see.”