Did Carlos Alcaraz make a ‘big mistake’ with his comments after Jack Draper defeat?
Carlos Alcaraz may have sent an unwanted message to his biggest rivals with his surprisingly honest verdict on his defeat at the hands of Jack Draper in a compelling Indian Wells semi-final.
Losing to the rising star of men’s tennis was no disgrace for two-time defending Indian Wells champion Alcaraz, but elite sports stars rarely offer up the kind of comments the 21-year-old Spaniard made as he spoke to the media.
Athletes tend to hide their insecurities for fear of allowing their rivals to gain an advantage, but Alcaraz’s comments will fuel belief in the Draper camp that he is intimidated by the player who went on to win his first Indian Wells Masters title as he beat Holger Rune in the final.
The young Brit beat Alcaraz on a grass court at the Queen’s Club last June, so his three-set win against the four-time Grand Slam winner in Indian Wells was not entirely unexpected.
Yet it was surprising to hear Alcaraz suggesting he was ‘nervous all day’ in the build up to his latest meeting with a player who clearly unsettles him.
He even revealed details of a conversation he had with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero prior to the match that revealed more about his mindset ahead of the Draper clash.
“I think today has been a difficult day for me. I didn’t practice well. I didn’t feel myself well on court,” said Alcaraz in his press conference.
“You know, even in the warming up on court, I was missing a lot. I didn’t feel my shots. So that’s why I was talking with Juan Carlos on the bike, because I was a little bit mad with myself about the way I warmed up on court.
“As I said, I didn’t approach the match in the best way that I could. So I was nervous during the whole day, in the practice before the match, and I think that affect, you know, to the match. So that’s why I had the conversation with Juan Carlos on the bike.
“I always say that I have to be focused on myself, on my own game. I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself.
“So I think that’s was a big problem to me, that I was always thinking about his weakness than my best things. So when you’re thinking more about the opponent than yourself, then it is a big problem.
“So that’s what happened today. Since the beginning of the day, since the morning, I was thinking about his game, because he’s really tough, he’s really solid, and it’s going to be a really physical match. So I was thinking all these things since the beginning of the day, and I think that a big problem.”
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Alcaraz’s honesty is one of the reasons why he is so easy to relate to as a tennis fan, but you would not hear Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal discuss how nervous they were prior to a match and especially after a defeat.
There is no doubt that Alcaraz was gripped with tension as he was blown away by Draper in the opening set of his 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 defeat, but his opponents and others in the locker room may take a confidence boost after reading those comments from Alcaraz.
The great champions build an aura around them that leads their rivals to conclude they are invincible, yet Alcaraz showed his vulnerabilities in his post-match press conference after his first defeat at Indian Wells in three years and it will have been noted by those looking to knock him off his perch.
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