Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz has dismissed suggestions that there were any issues with his form after he suffered a surprise exit from the Italian Open on Monday.
Alcaraz, who was making his debut in Rome this year, fell in straight sets to Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan in what some are regarding as the biggest surprise on the ATP Tour so far this year. Marozsan had never played a top 30 player before this week and is playing in the main draw of an ATP Tour event for the first time in his career at the age of 23. Despite his inexperience, the underdog produced the best tennis of his career to end Alcaraz’s 12-match winning streak.
“I was perfect physically. I just didn’t feel comfortable,” Alcaraz said afterwards during his press conference.
“He made me feel uncomfortable on the court. He was aggressive and was playing inside the baseline all the time.’
“It was tough for me to get into the match, into the rally. I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don’t make too much.’
“These days can happen in tennis, and you have to handle it. In the second set I was close, I had my chances, but I didn’t take the chances. He was at the same level all the time. He deserves the win.”
It is the first time Alcaraz has lost to a player ranked outside the top 100 since the 2021 Paris Masters where he was beaten by Hugo Gaston in the third round. Marozsan is a relatively new name on the main stage of tennis who has shown glimmers of his talent earlier in the season by winning a Challenger title in Turkey. However, he has struggled for consistency in his form after losing four out of five matches played before Rome where he came through qualifying to reach the main draw.
“He surprised me a lot. His level was really, really high and I’m sure he’s going to break the top 100 very, very soon,” the world No.2 said of the Hungarian.
“If he plays at that level, he’s going to surprise more than one (top players).” He added.
Despite the defeat, there is a silver lining for the 20-year-old who will return to world No.1 next week. This is due to the fact he was making his debut in Rome and therefore every round he played added to his points tally. In contrast to current world No.1 Novak Djokovic who can’t add to his points balance due to being the reigning champion.
Alcaraz will now take a few days off to rest before switching his focus to the French Open which will begin later this month. He will be the top seed in Roland Garros but has played down its significance. Instead, he says getting a solid training block prior to the Grand Slam is his main priority.
“If I want to go to Paris in a good shape, I have to practice, to be better. I couldn’t practice more than three, four days in a row. I’ve been playing so much.” He said.
“It’s going to be really helpful for me to have days at home practicing and getting ready for Roland Garros.”
Alcaraz’s win-loss record for the season now stands at 30-3.
