Everyone kept waiting for Carlos Alcaraz to turn things around at the US Open. Alcaraz figured it would happen at some point. So, did his opponent. (More Tennis News)
And, surely the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd and folks tuning in on TV did, too. This is, after all, Carlos Alcaraz we're talking about 바카라 the 21-year-old wunderkind with four Grand Slam titles already, including one at Flushing Meadows as a teen.
A guy at the top of the game right now. A guy expected to accept the mantel from the Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The best version of Alcaraz never materialized on Thursday night in Arthur Ashe Stadium against 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, who wound up winning 6-1, 7-5, 6-4, a result as stunning for who won as for how easily he did.
Afterwards, the No. 3-ranked Alcaraz sounded like someone a little worried about what it might mean.
바카라Instead of taking steps forward, I've taken steps back mentally. I can't understand the reason why," he said during the Spanish portion of his post-match news conference. 바카라I have to check what's going on with me.바카라
What happened to Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open?
It wasn't just that Alcaraz sounded defeated. It was also that he sounded bewildered.
바카라I couldn't see the ball well. ... I couldn't hit it properly. It's quite a weird sensation,바카라 Alcaraz said. 바카라I'm not well mentally, not strong. I don't know how to manage the difficult moments, and that's a problem for me.바카라
Who is Botic van de Zandschulp?
Across the net was van de Zandschulp, a 28-year-old from the Netherlands who seriously contemplated retirement a few months ago and came to the US Open with a record of 11-18 this season and without back-to-back victories at any tour-level tournament.
He only once has made it as far as the quarter-finals at any Grand Slam tournament, getting to that stage at Flushing Meadows three years ago.
So, van de Zandschulp was pretty sure the one-sided nature of Thursday's match was going to shift.
바카라Even in the third, you're thinking, like, He's going to come up with something special,'바카라 van de Zandschulp said. 바카라I actually was thinking that the whole match.바카라
But, Alcaraz just was unable to get going.
Why did Carlos Alcaraz struggle at the US Open?
He couldn't explain why he never turned things around or why he failed to find something that would work.
바카라Today, I was playing against the opponent, and I was playing against myself, in my mind," Alcaraz said. "A lot of emotions that I couldn't control.바카라
When a reporter offered one possible explanation 바카라 exhaustion after what's been a busy stretch 바카라 Alcaraz did acknowledge a tennis schedule he called 바카라so tight바카라 could have been too draining.
He went from the clay of Roland Garros to the grass of the All England Club to the clay of the Summer Games and then to the hard courts of North America.
바카라Probably, I came here with not as much energy as I thought that I was going to (have),바카라 Alcaraz said. 바카라But, I mean, I don't want to put that as excuse.바카라
What comes next for Carlos Alcaraz?
Maybe, the devastating loss to Novak Djokovic in the Olympic final that left Alcaraz in tears was hard to process properly.
In the one hard-court match he played before the US Open 바카라 a defeat against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open 바카라 Alcaraz lost his cool, repeatedly smashing his racket on the court, a reaction he later apologized for.
Now, he's dropped three of his past four contests and needs to come up with a way to move past this stretch and be ready for the next Grand Slam tournament, the Australian Open in January.
Then again, maybe Alcaraz shouldn't be too hard on himself. After all, there must be a reason only two men in the past 55 years managed to win the championships in Paris, London and New York in a single season: Rod Laver in 1969 (when he completed a calendar-year Grand Slam) and Rafael Nadal in 2010.
바카라I have to think about it," Alcaraz said. "I have to learn (from) it... if I want to improve.바카라
