Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that he is feeling the pressure after suffering a semi-final defeat in Buenos Aires. The world No. 2 has not won a title since July while young rival Jannik Sinner has become the man to beat, going undefeated so far in 2024 and lifting trophies at the Australian Open and in Rotterdam. Alcaraz now believes that it will take a “stratospheric” performance to stop Sinner.
Alcaraz suffered a disappointing defeat in Buenos Aires last week. Going into the tournament as the defending champion and top seed, he crashed out to Nicolas Jarry 7-6(2) 6-3 in the semi-final. It came a few weeks after his quarter-final exit from the Australian Open.
In comparison, fellow young star Sinner picked up his 12th career title over the weekend in Rotterdam, matching Alcaraz’s total trophy count. The Italian climbed to a new career-high of No. 3 in the world after a perfect start to the year, which also saw him win the Australian Open.
And Alcaraz has admitted that he’s feeling the pressure after being left “hurt” by his defeat to Jarry. The two-time Major winner said: “It has been a difficult defeat for me, it has hurt me a lot. There are many things to improve. The level has to rise, I have played good tennis but far from my real level.
“I have prepared well, physically I feel good. But this type of defeats hurt, you have to know how to read the games better and from there move forward, there is no other option.” The world No. 2 still feels that people expect him to win every match he plays, something he hasn’t been able to do in recent months.
He continued: “There is great expectation in me and in the tournaments where I go, people think that I have to win every match and in the end this is tennis, there are many players who have a high level.” And Alcaraz knows that there is currently a difference between him and other top players like Sinner.
“Right now I see that those who are up there, in certain moments, are the ones that make the difference and that is where I have to improve,” he explained. “It is a subject that I have been contemplating for quite some time, in trying to take advantage of certain moments, on break balls and on balls against are moments that I have to handle in a better way.”
Alcaraz has not faced Sinner since October when the Italian won their Beijing clash and went on to lift the trophy. But he knows that it will take something special to end the world No. 3’s winning run, as he hasn’t lost a match since the ATP Finals in November.
The Spaniard added: “Jannik is having a very good moment. His level of tennis shows the confidence he has. He is a super worker and I am not surprised that he is at this point right now. To beat him you have to play at a stratospheric level. I am happy for him because he is a very good person and the fact that he is at this point helps me to improve and get the best out of me.”
It will be a while before the pair have the chance to face off for the eighth time, as Alcaraz is competing in Rio this week while Sinner isn’t set to compete again until Indian Wells. The pair met in the Indian Wells semi-final last year, with Alcaraz coming out on top. And the 20-year-old will be hoping that he can play and beat Sinner again this time around.
