LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz says he exits Wimbledon with his head held high after missing out on the title to Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
The world No.2 was beaten in four sets by his Italian nemesis, whom he had beaten in five consecutive meetings before their latest showdown. Alcaraz was chasing after his third consecutive title at The All England Club and was on a career-best 24-match winning streak. However, he was unable to find a way to tame Sinner.
“I’m just proud about everything I’ve done, the last four weeks on grass here in London,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“I leave Wimbledon with my head high because I did everything that I could. I played against someone who played an unbelievable game.”
Whilst he has high praise for his rival, there was a noticeable lull in his serve compared to recent matches played. The Spaniard only managed to get 53% of his first serves in, winning 75% of them. Meanwhile, behind his second serve, he won 29 out of 57 points.
Undoubtedly, these figures are costly against somebody of Sinner’s calibre.
“I played against one of the best returners on tour, without a doubt,” he states.
“It was a weapon that I wish could be better, but today, with the nerves and everything, it was difficult to serve better. I just have to improve that.”
Alcaraz still leads Sinner 8-5 in their head-to-head and is confident that their rivalry is the best in terms of publicity and quality in men’s tennis.
“I don’t see any player playing against each other having the level that we are playing when we face each other,” he explains.
“This rivalry, it’s getting better and better. We’re building a great rivalry because we’re playing the final of the Grand Slams, the final of the Masters, the best tournament in the world.
“It gives me the opportunity to just give my 100% every practice, every day.”
It is not the first time Alcaraz has come off second best at a big tournament; last summer, he was denied a gold medal at the Paris Olympics after losing in two close tiebreaks to Novak Djokovic. Immediately after, he was visibly emotional and started to cry when speaking during his on-court interview.
When asked to compare that experience with his current feeling of losing at Wimbledon, the 22-year-old pointed out that they are very different for him due to a variety of reasons.
“At the Olympics, I was really bad emotionally after the match. It was really hard for me to accept that moment,” he reflected.
“In the last year, I’ve been through different situations and I learned from them.
“I want to keep the good moments and try to forget the bad moments. I just want to think I just played a final in a Grand Slam and try to forget that I lost it.
“I’m smiling because in my head it was about playing the final and being grateful for that.”
