In explaining why he was crying uncontrollably after losing to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics, Carlos Alcaraz made a devastating admission.
The 21-year-old fell in two tight sets, 7-6(3) and 7-6(2), after going 0/8 on break chances. He had to interrupt a TV interview to collect himself after the match because he began crying.
Alcaraz talked about his displeasure and emotional response following the game.
The world number three said, “I felt like I let all the Spanish people down a little bit, in some way.” “I am aware that the majority of Spaniards were anticipating my gold medal. I also worked hard for it and went after it, but when it didn’t work out, I became emotional since I couldn’t make all the Spanish people proud.”
But Alcaraz was feeling better less than two hours after losing. “But looking back at that moment, the match was really close to the end,” he continued. I became emotional towards the end because I was unable to think [about] the things rationally. However, at this very moment, I’m considering saying more laid back. I believe that by inspiring them to believe a certain way, I made them proud. And I’m pleased with how I carried my flag.”
Alcaraz lost his first major final in his career in the gold medal game. In Grand Slam finals, he is four out of four, with two victories over Djokovic at Wimbledon. Furthermore, he acknowledged that he was under pressure during the Paris Games.
“The Grand Slam matches are a little bit different from the Olympics final on Sunday,” he remarked. “I mean, it’s not the same; I was competing for Spain and the gold medal. I have been in four Grand Slam finals, and throughout the challenging times, I raised my game and performed exceptionally well.
“And I think I felt the pressure more today. Perhaps other players are not performing in the same manner or are under pressure to represent their nation and flag when they play. It’s possible that I had pressure to perform at my best in those circumstances, which made the distinction between competing in Olympic finals and Grand Slams apparent to me.”
The third-ranked player in the world added that the pressure was increased by not having an Olympic victory. “I play four Grand Slams a year, and the Olympics happen once every four years, so you could probably feel the pressure while playing,” he went on. Like I mentioned, I could sense it.
With time to think it over, Alcaraz will be pleased with his Olympic debut. He is eager to absorb the lesson from the end though. “I’m really proud and I’m leaving the court, I’m leaving the tournament with my head really, really high knowing that I gave everything on the court, I gave everything that I could on court today and I will [be] back stronger and I hope to learn from this situation,” he stated.
The world No. 3 has already lost badly against Djokovic on Court Philippe-Chatrier on previous occasions. He thinks he can recover from a difficult one like he did last year to win Wimbledon after the Olympics.
Alcaraz continued, “Recall that while I was seated here last year in the French Open semifinal versus Novak, I promised myself that I would learn from the experience, and I did. I’ll say the same thing after that. I think that after this, I’m going to be a better player and more mature off the court as well. I’m going to learn from this experience to be a better player, and I’m not going to make the same mistakes that I did today.