"The first set, I was playing against Rafa and against me" - Carlos Alcaraz on his semi-final loss against Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells

Carlos Alcaraz attributed his nerves as the reason for his loss against Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the 2022 Indian Wells Masters. The teenager noted that he was so overwhelmed by the realization that he was playing against his childhood idol, which led him to be distracted for large portions of it.

Alcaraz hadn't dropped a set in the tournament coming into the match, but his "hero moment" got the better of him. Despite finding his way in the second set, the World No. 17 succumbed to a hard-fought 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 loss, handing Nadal his 20th straight win of the season.

Speaking at his press conference afterward, the Spaniard revealed that he felt like he was playing against both Nadal and himself in the first set. Though he felt like he made an improvement in the next two sets, it was ultimately too late to deter the former World No. 1 from marching into the final.

"In the first set, I was playing against Rafa and against me. I was always thinking that I'm playing against Rafa. In the second set and the third set, okay, [I was thinking] I'm playing against Rafa but I'm going to show my level, I'm going to give my 100% so that I can be able to beat him or come close to beating him," Alcaraz said. "But in the whole match I was thinking that I'm playing against Rafa."

Instead of being upset about it, however, Carlos Alcaraz declared that he would use the loss as a learning experience and try to be more calm and relaxed the next time he goes up against his countryman.

"I had to be more calm. I played really nervous. But, yeah, I will learn from this. I mean, the next time I will play more calmly and more relaxed. If you are playing against [Rafael Nadal], you have to be calm. You have to think well in the tough moments," Alcaraz said. "That's what I learned in this match."

His mental side of the game aside, the World No. 17 remarked that he had a lot of fun in the match, probably the most he has had in an encounter he did not end up winning. Alcaraz even recalled smiling a little bit after the World No. 4 pulled off some "unbelievable points," thanking his opponent for letting him partake in a memorable encounter.

"This is probably the most fun I've had in a match I lost. I think a couple of times when I was losing, I smiled a little bit for some points, unbelievable points from [Nadal]," Alcaraz said. "I think I enjoyed the match even though I lost."

"I think I'm going to play against Rafael Nadal and the best players this year a lot" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz hopes to take on Rafael Nadal and the best players in the world a lot this year

During the press conference, Carlos Alcaraz also disclosed that he was pleasantly surprised by the crowd's reception for him against Rafael Nadal. The World No. 17 stated that he expected most of the crowd to be on the 35-year-old's side - which was true - but did not anticipate the hordes of people rallying to his support.

The teenage sensation expressed his gratitude to the fans who cheered him on, adding that he was "really happy" to experience the crowd's love for him.

"Obviously most of the crowd was with [Rafael Nadal]. But really happy with the crowd. I mean, there were a lot of guys behind me, supporting me. That was amazing for me. I knew most of the crowd were with Rafa and cheering up Rafa," Alcaraz said. "But I was a little bit surprised with a lot of crowd cheer me up. I'm really happy."

Alcaraz further added that, as a whole, he regarded the tournament as a positive for him. Notwithstanding the semi-final loss, the Spaniard was of the opinion that he showed a lot more maturity on the court and was confident in his ability to go toe-to-toe against players better than himself in the future.

The 18-year-old looked forward to playing Rafael Nadal again too, and asserted that he would be better prepared the next time around.

"I think my level was up. I'm feeling really comfortable on this court. I think I'm more mature than the last year. Now I know how to play against these kind of players," Alcaraz said. "I played a lot of matches against great players. Second time against [Nadal]. I feel like I'm part of that level. I think I'm going to play against Rafa and the best players this year a lot. Now I think that I'm ready for the others."

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Also Check Out: Indian Wells Masters 2022 Results