Carlos Alcaraz suffered one of the most upsetting losses of his career at last year’s US Open against Daniil Medvedev, and the Spaniard was brutally honest about it.
Alcaraz admitted after that match that his behavior during the match was ungraspable and that he would do better in the future. He called himself not mature enough, which was a harsh description but not an inaccurate one.
It was certainly an upsetting loss for the Spaniard, and he’s been quite a bit more mature this year. Winning Roland Garros the way he did wasn’t easy, but he showed a lot of composure and maturity.
Winning Wimbledon was a similar example of how he remained mature, and that was also the theme when the 21-year-old player was asked about it.
Speaking after lifting the second Wimbledon trophy of his career, Alcaraz admitted that the match against Medvedev taught him a lot because he simply didn’t have a good approach in that match, and it was unacceptable.
“I learned a lot from that match against Daniil in 2023. I had to be better; I had to grow up and be more mature in those situations. I gave
up a little bit in the second set after losing the first one.”
“It’s unacceptable. I knew that these things can’t happen again and it helped me a lot coming to the next Slams and tournaments.”
Growing up is certainly something all players have to go through, especially those who are very young. Alcaraz walked into tennis stardom, and eventually, it was expected that he would meet some challenges.
However, how he responded since then, improving mentally is certainly the mark of champions, and that’s also why he was proud about it when speaking after his 2024 Wimbledon Championships triumph.
“To be better on the mental side, to be strong enough to play best tennis in the close and difficult situations. I’m here right now thanks to these kinds of situations that I learned a lot from.”
