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Carlos Alcaraz has opened up about his struggles with cramping during the deciding set of his 2023 Miami Open semi-final against Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz, however, refused to attribute his loss to fitness issues. The Spaniard acknowledged Sinner's high level of tennis, particularly in the third set, saying that the Italian was simply better than him.
In yet another thriller between the two young stars of the men's game, Alcaraz won the opening set 7-6(4) from 1-4 down before Sinner mounted a comeback of his own. Alcaraz seemed to have a problem with his leg during the early stages of the decider, but he finished the match and lost 7-6(4), 4-6, 2-6.
While the now former World No. 1 was not at his best in the third set, he refused to put that down to his injury, stating instead that he was eventually outplayed.
"Yeah, well, yeah, I started cramping at the beginning of the third set, but it wasn't the reason for I lost the match," Carlos Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference.
Alcaraz further said he felt better as the set progressed but Sinner just took the match away from him.
"You know, I went back after cramping at the beginning, I started to feel better. But of course Jannik, he was better than me in the third set. That's the truth, you know. But yeah, it was in the first game of the third set," the 19-year-old added.
Alcaraz has lost the World No. 1 ranking as a result of his defeat on Friday. Novak Djokovic will return to the summit of the rankings on Monday.
Carlos Alcaraz feels 'beautiful' tennis in matches with Jannik Sinner attracts global interest in rivalry
The Miami Open semi-final on Friday, which was the sixth installment of the Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner rivalry, produced some memorable rallies and shots from the two youngsters. Alcaraz expressed his excitement at already having built a strong rivalry with Sinner, saying that he always feels there is more interest from fans for matches between the duo.
The Spaniard opined that the 'beautiful' tennis on display attracts eyeballs from all around the world.
"I feel something different about the crowd when I play against Jannik. You know, I think around the world is probably all the people watching this match because I think it's really beautiful to watch," Alcaraz said.
With Sinner's win on Friday, their head-to-head is now tied at 3-3. Alcaraz beat the Italian just two weeks ago in the semifinals at Indian Wells.
The Spaniard will now turn his focus towards the clayourt season, where he will look to defend his titles at the Barcelona Open and Madrid Open. The battle between Alcaraz and Djokovic for the World No. 1 ranking will also take centerstage.
