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Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he will be going back home to Spain after his surprising third-round exit at the 2023 Italian Open. Alcaraz hopes to reset his mind and come back fresher for the French Open.
The Spaniard fell to qualifier Fabian Marozsan 3-6, 6-7 (4) on Sunday, marking only his third defeat of the season. Having come in as one of the top favorites for the title in Rome, the 20-year-old stated at his post-loss press conference that it is time for him to take a short break now and rest.
He has played continuously over the last month or so, especially with back-to-back title runs in Barcelona and Madrid prior to the Italian Open. Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he has barely had time to practice in the recent days.
With the French Open coming, the World No. 2 welcomed the opportunity to sit on the sidelines a while and recharge himself, both mentally and physically.
"I'm going to rest little bit, some days off for me. I really need some days to reset my mind a little bit, to being fresh for Roland Garros," Carlos Alcaraz said.
"Of course, to practice the that's not secret. You have to practice. If you want to do a good result in Paris, if I want to go to Paris in a good shape, I have to practice, to be better
"I couldn't practice more than three, four days in a row. I've been playing so much. It's going to be really helpful for me to have days at home practicing and getting ready to Roland Garros," he added.
Regardless of the loss, Alcaraz will be World No. 1 on Monday. Defending champion Novak Djokovic will not be able to add any ranking points to his tally even if he goes all the way in Rome, while the Spaniard has added 45 to his name.
Guaranteed the top seeding at Roland Garros, the reigning US Open champion admitted that it was "great." However, he did not think it would make any difference to how he views the tournament.
"It's great to be No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam, in Paris. That's a tournament I really want to have a good result there. I try not to think about it. For me it's the same to be No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. Probably the draw is the same in that ranking. It's great, but at the same time it's not really helpful for me," Alcaraz said.
"I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don't make too much" - Carlos Alcaraz on his loss to Fabian Marozsan
Carlos Alcaraz further stated in the press conference that it was an ususual day for him, as he made a lot of mistakes he did not usually make.
At the same time, he was also all praise for Fabian Marozsan. Alcaraz hailed the Hungarian for maintaining his high level throughout the match and constantly pushing him out of his comfort zone.
"I was perfect physically. I just didn't feel comfortable. He made me to feel uncomfortable on court. I mean, he was aggressive all the time," Carlos Alcaraz said.
"He was playing inside all the time, the baseline all the time. It was tough for me to get into the match, into the rally. I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don't make too much.
"Obviously these days can happen in tennis, and you have to handle it. As I said, in the second set I was close, I had my chances, but I didn't take the chances. He was at the same level all the time," he added.
