ATP Masters Monte Carlo: Carlos Alcaraz knows how to classify defeat - "Not death"
For high-flyerCarlos Alcaraz , there was a surprisingly early defeat at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Monte Carlo. However, the Spanish youngster knows how to classify them well.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit:
Apr 14, 2022, 06:12 pm
"World No. 1 vs Miami Winner... Signs Us All Up," headlined relevant social media accounts minutes after the draw for the first clay 1000 of the 2022 season, the Rolex Masters in Monte Carlo, was certain. The possible quarter-final duel between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic promised a lot in the run-up to the tournament.
Well, little has come of it. For both Djokovic and youngster Alcaraz, there was a surprisingly early defeat in the principality, the two co-favorites for the title failed at the start in Monte Carlo. While Djokovic spoke of a "physical collapse" in sentence three, but at the same time emphasized that he was in good spirits, that he would be in reasonable condition by the French Open, the 18-year-old Alcaraz also knew how to classify his defeat.
Alcaraz and the difficult transition to sand
"It's never easy to get used to playing on clay, the first match is always difficult, especially when you play against Sebastian Korda, a great player," said Alcaraz after his opening defeat. The 18-year-old's plan for the coming weeks, on the other hand, is already clear: to switch from hard to clay courts as quickly as possible. "It's part of our job, you have to accept defeat as best you can. It's just a defeat, it's not death, you know," said the eleventh in the world rankings after the start.
"Now it's about playing a lot of games, collecting sets until you get used to this surface. The transition is difficult, but we already knew that," said Alcaraz in Monte Carlo. The Spaniard has so far - apart from the triumph at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami - celebrated his greatest successes on clay court. And that's not the only reason why he is considered a possible heir to the throne for clay court king Rafael Nadal.
Alcaraz reflects on successes in America
However, Alcaraz doesn't want to let the fact that the media hype surrounding the youngster has increased drastically with the recent successes: "At the moment I'm not thinking about what people expect of me, I'm just concentrating on my things, on my way and on what I have to do," said the 18-year-old. "Now I'm just thinking about playing more matches on clay."
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Nonetheless, the Spaniard has recently had the opportunity to reflect on his successes: "In the last week I had time to realize and reflect on my achievements in Miami. But my goal was to get used to the clay courts as quickly as possible to improve and adapt to the conditions in Monte Carlo." That's for sure, Carlos Alcaraz doesn't want to call himself a success.
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