By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 8, 2023
NEW YORK—Temporary insanity—and a tremendous performance from Daniil Medvedev—conspired to cost Carlos Alcaraz his US Open title defense.
Pointing to Medvedev playing smarter points in his 7-6(3), 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 US Open semifinal win, Alcaraz admitted “I lose my mind” in the first-set tiebreaker playing a string of loose points.
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“In the tiebreak, you know, after 3-All in the tiebreak, I, let’s say, I lose my mind,” Alcaraz said. “I make three or four points without control. I didn’t think.
“I totally lose my mind on that set, and fighting for 50 minutes and then, you know, for four points lose my mind. It was really tough for me to handle it. You know, in the second set I didn’t came back. It was almost in the moon (smiling). For me it was tough. Obviously Daniil, he was playing great. You know, it was tough for me to came back, you know, to the match and playing a great game again.”
Festering frustration over the poor finish to the tiebreaker haunted Alcaraz like a hangover in the second set, before he cleared his mind and came back to win the third set.
“I almost threw the racquet to floor, but I just control myself just be in the moment, but it was tough for me to stay calm,” Alcaraz said.
The 20-year-old Spaniard credited Medvedev for attacking his shots with more vigor.
“He played with more speed in his shots. I think the forehand running, it was great today,” Alcaraz said of Medvedev. “Probably with the slice in the previous matches, you know, help me a lot to find my own game, but today I couldn’t. So he found great directions with his shots, no mistakes, great serve today. So I think he played his game, but, you know [he was] now, 10 out of 10, that he say, so he was great today.”
The Wimbledon champion said the pain of losing his US Open crown will probably remain “for days or weeks”, but will consult with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, the 2003 US Open runner-up, to review the semifinal and come back stronger.
“I don’t think I’m gonna think about this loss for a long time,” Alcaraz said. “Of course I have to learn about it. I want to be better. You know, these kind of matches help you a lot to be better and grow up in these kind of situations.
“But I have to talk with my team, with Juan Carlos, and how I can be better, but [the pain will linger] days, weeks, but not much longer than that.”
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