Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘brain is broken’ from Novak Djokovic Olympics loss, claims former No 1 ahead of US Open
Former doubles world No 1 Rennae Stubbs believes Carlos Alcaraz’s brain “is still broken” from missing out on the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
Stubbs, a former coach of tennis legend Serena Williams, declared Alcaraz has “a lot of pressure on his shoulders” and thinks the Spaniard is tired from all the tennis he has played recently.
Alcaraz left the 2024 Games with a silver medal after he was beaten by Novak Djokovic in a thrilling gold medal match at Stade Roland Garros
The Spaniard was devastated after the defeat and was brought to tears during a post-match interview. The 21-year-old suffered an upset loss to Gael Monfils in Cincinnati in his only match since the Olympics.
Speaking ahead of the 2024 US Open, Alcaraz reflected on the heartbreak of the Paris Olympics final.
“Well, this is one of the most important final of my career, of my life,” said the world No 3.
“I know that the Olympic Games is every four years, so I don’t know if I’m gonna have another chance to win the gold. I’m gonna fight for it, for sure, the next Olympic Games.
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“But it was a difficult moment to deal [with] for me, you know, losing the gold medal in a really close match that I had opportunities.
“But you know, in front of me, I had a really good player that he was fighting for the same thing as me, and he deserve it.
“So days after the Olympics was, okay, I realise that I won the silver medal, it was a great achievement for me that I have to be proud of.”
Speaking on The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Stubbs discussed the uncharacteristic racket smash from Alcaraz during his Cincinnati loss to Monfils.
“This was such an anomaly to see Carlos Alcaraz lose his mind like that [in Cincinnati]. Our sweet little baby Carlitos, who is literally the nicest guy,” said the Australian.
“I did a Q&A with all the players at Cincinnati and the question I asked every single guy was, ‘Who’s the happiest and most-liked person in the locker room?’, and every single one of them either said Frances Tiafoe or Carlos Alcaraz.
“His (Alcaraz’s) brain is still broken from losing the gold medal. I think he’s played a lot of tennis and he’s got a lot of pressure on his shoulders now.
“I think he’s tired now. Anyone who came off of playing at the Olympics and was playing in Cincinnati was just, mentally and physically drained.”
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