Carlos Alcaraz reflected on his recent defeat to Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz faced Djokovic for just the second time earlier this month in their French Open semifinal clash. The match looked set to be a classic as it was tied 1-1 after two sets.
However, the Spaniard suffered cramp and saw his movement get hampered resulting in Djokovic taking a 2-1 lead. Although Alcaraz did manage to recover in the fourth, it was too late as Djokovic eventually sealed the match and advanced to the final where he went on to win a record 23rd Grand Slam title.
Alcaraz will be looking to bounce back when he takes part in the Queen's Club Championships this week, where a first grass title will also see the 20-year-old return to the summit of the ATP rankings.
However, was the defeat to Djokovic on his mind for long? It was for a few days, but Alcaraz only took positives from the setback.
“Well, I thought about the match with Novak, of course, what happened in that match,” Alcaraz said at the Queen's Club Championships press conference. “Taking positive things from it and trying to learn about that match. … It was just a few days thinking about that match.”
It was not only Alcaraz's second meeting with Djokovic, but also just his second-ever Grand Slam semifinal.
The US Open winner admitted nerves may have gotten to him on the occasion, but it's something he will correct going forward as the next time will be different.
“It was my second semifinal in a Grand Slam and playing against a legend like Novak is never easy,” Alcaraz added. “So once I lived that experience, once I played that semifinal against Novak, it's a really important match.
“So it's going to be different the next time I'm going to be in that same situation. I'm going to build the pressure, the nerves better than I did in that semifinal. I'm a guy who finds the positive things always and I learned from that match how to deal with the nerves, so it's going to be different the next situation.”
That next situation could occur at Wimbledon, but for now, Alcaraz has to get past Arthur Fils in their first-round match at the Queen's Club Championships which takes place Tuesday.
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