“It was a difficult day for me. The long and intense match against Struff made me suffer because I hadn’t competed at that level for a long time, and today I woke up with stiffness throughout my body and forearm.
I also have a cold, but the main thing is that I have been much weaker mentally than usual. I became very whiny about not taking advantage of my chances.”
Carlos Alcaraz expressed with his usual honesty his feelings after the defeat in the quarter-finals of the Mutua Madrid Open against Andrey Rublev.
At the press conference, Alcaraz said he was very disappointed at not being able to defend his third consecutive title on the clay courts of the capital and spoke about the forearm problem that has affected him in recent weeks.
After two years of Spanish domination, there will therefore be a new champion in Madrid this year. Alcaraz’s winning streak at the Mutua Open in Madrid stopped at 14. The Spaniard succumbed to Rublev, who took advantage of the 20-year-old Spaniard’s less than optimal physical condition to recover the match and secure a place in the semi-final, winning with a score of 4-6 6-3 6-2.
“It bothers me a lot to see that I make stupid mistakes when I have the chance to break, because against these types of players you have to take advantage of the few opportunities they give you. One day before the start I didn’t know if I would be able to compete.
Of course, once I get on the court, I don’t like to lose, but I consider this week very positive because I was able to play four high-intensity matches. Neither I nor my team would have said that I could reach the quarterfinals before the tournament, so now I have to continue working to get my forehand back to normal as soon as possible,” said Carlitos.
Alcaraz analyzed his forearm problem
Regarding the right forearm problem, Alcaraz analyzed: “I still have a long way to go. In Madrid I was constantly thinking if I felt something strange every time I hit the forehand.
I will have to work hard in the next few days if I want to go to Rome having eliminated this problem out of my head and being able to hit my forehand normally. I leave with good feelings, but I have to continue to improve. I think I will be able to play in Rome.”
The 20-year-old concluded by talking about the possibility of changing the philosophy of his game a little.
“I am aware that I have reached number 1 in the world with that cheerful game that characterizes me so much, but it is also true that I am growing and becoming aware of other things, both in the game and off the pitch, which perhaps I didn’t give importance to before.
I know I have to maintain my characteristic freshness, but also handle all situations with maturity,” he analyzed.
Alcaraz then congratulated his Russian opponent: “He played really well, his serve was incredible and he gave me few chances, which I wasn’t able to exploit. This was the key to the meeting; I rate his performance as exceptional because it was impossible for me to push him to the limit with my shots.”