Carlos Alcaraz has admitted tension lead to him cramping during his 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 defeat to Novak Djokovic.
The world number one will have to wait for his first Roland Garros final after losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
It was a competitive opening two sets before a cramping issue effectively ended Alcaraz’s Parisian dream.
After the match, Alcaraz admitted it was a tough thing to deal with and the cramping didn’t just effect his legs it was also his arms, “Well, yeah, it’s been really tough for me, honestly,” the Spaniard started his press conference by saying.
“I disappointed myself honestly, you know, and in a match like this, coming to this match with great feeling, feeling great physically, and, yeah, cramping at the end of the second set, beginning of the third set, it was really disappointing.
“Well, I would say the first set and the second set was really, really intense, you know, and I started to cramp, you know, in my arm. At the beginning of the third set I started to cramp every part of my body, not only the legs. The arms, as well, every part of the legs.
“Well, it was really tough for me to move at the third set, and in the fourth set let’s say I had a little chance, but it was really tough. You know, my full body start to cramp.”
Later on in the press conference Alcaraz reflected on the reasons why he started to cramp.
The top seed said the tension and nerves of the occasion got the best of him and his body reacted by getting tense and cramping, “Yeah, the tension. The tension of the match. You know, I started match really nervous,” Alcaraz explained.
“The tension of, you know, the first set, the second set, it was really intense two sets, as well. Really good rallies, tough rallies, you know, dropshots, sprints, rallies, you know. It’s a combination of a lot of things. But, you know, the main thing, it was the tension that I had all the two first sets.”
It was a tough experience for Alcaraz to go through as he will hope to become a champion in Paris next year.
The Spaniard spoke about learning from his experiences and the reasons why he didn’t retire in the third set, “Well, you have to learn from these kind of matches, you know, these kind of experience,” Alcaraz stated.
“I would say I take lesson from that match, you know. I will try to not happen again, you know, in these matches. You know, I have to take lesson from that experience and, you know, it’s something that I have to deal, and of course I will have more experience in the next match.
“Well, I would have felt sorry about myself if I would retire, you know. I’m in a semi-final of a Grand Slam. If I retired from that, it could have been really tough for me.
“Of course in the third set, no, but thinking about the fourth set, I thought that probably I have 1% chance, you know, to come back. It was really tough.
“But, you know, in the fourth set I had breakpoints in the first game. But, you know, after that, I just continue playing, you know. In my mind, in the fourth set, it was not the retirement.”
Alcaraz’s willingness to play is commendable as he looks to take the fighting spirit into the rest of the season.
Providing he is fully fit, Alcaraz will now prepare for Wimbledon by playing Queen’s Club which starts on the 19th of June.
