Alcaraz Seeks to Forget Wimbledon Defeat and Maintain Success

Alcaraz Faces the Challenge of Overcoming the Defeat at Wimbledon

Carlos Alcaraz is facing an unprecedented situation in his career: he must learn to manage a defeat in the final of a Grand Slam. After maintaining a perfect 5-0 record in major tournament finals, his winning streak at Wimbledon came to an end on Sunday. Alcaraz fell to Jannik Sinner with a score of 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

It’s always a bad feeling to lose matches. It’s a little worse when you lose in a final.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz, accustomed to victory, had accumulated an impressive streak of 20 matches won at the All England Club, conquering the championships of 2023 and 2024. In addition, he reached the final with an undefeated streak of 24 matches this season. The Spanish tennis player had also achieved five consecutive victories against Sinner, including an epic five-set final at Roland Garros, just five weeks ago.

I just want to keep the good moments and try to forget the bad ones. I just want to think: ‘Ok, I just played a final in a Grand Slam’, and try to forget that I lost it.

Carlos Alcaraz

The match began promisingly for Alcaraz, who took the first set thanks to a spectacular game, including an ace at 140 mph to secure the 5-4 and a cross-court backhand winner to break serve in the next game. However, as the match progressed, his ability to return Sinner’s serve diminished. In the last three sets, Alcaraz only had three break opportunities, failing to convert any. Another key factor was the inconsistency in his serve. Despite registering 15 aces, he also committed seven double faults. His first serve percentage was only 53%. He was broken on five occasions, at least once per set.

One of the most obvious problems was his second serve, as Sinner took advantage to connect powerful returns. This forced Alcaraz to defend himself frequently.

Today was complicated, a little. Sinner is one of the best returners on the circuit, without a doubt.

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz acknowledged that nerves hindered his serve and that he must improve this aspect. He also admitted that his drop in performance was more a consequence of Sinner’s game than fatigue.

He was pushing me to the limit at every point. Mentally, sometimes it’s really difficult to maintain focus or a good level throughout the match when you see that the opponent is playing such good tennis. At times, I didn’t know what to do in the match, because from the baseline I felt he was better than me and I couldn’t do anything about it.

Carlos Alcaraz