Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the Paris Masters in rich form but the Spaniard’s campaign in the French capital came to a close much quicker than anyone expected after Britain’s Cameron Norrie pulled off a 4-6 6-3 6-4 upset.
Fresh from winning titles at the US Open, the Cincinnati Open and the Japan Open, six-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz was off his game, racking up 54 unforced errors and venting his frustration in terse exchanges with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero.
It was another disappointing showing for Alcaraz at the Masters 1000 tournament, where he has never made it past the quarter-finals.
The world number one, who opted out of this month’s Shanghai Masters, told reporters he had “no feeling at all” for the ball in Tuesday’s defeat.
“I came here with a lot of energy. I came here thinking that I could have good results because I have been playing really good tennis. This is the best year for me in terms of playing at the end of the year,” he added.
“I’ve been talking with some other players, with my team, telling them I feel great. Other years I felt exhausted, I felt tired, but this year I feel good. I skipped Shanghai. I have been at home many days, I could enjoy myself there and relax.
“It helped (recharge) my battery, so I don’t know what happened here. This is a tournament that it’s really difficult for me to play well, but I will figure it out, and I will end up playing great tennis here.”
Alcaraz is next in action at next month’s ATP Finals, before representing Spain at the Davis Cup Finals.
“I will try to prepare myself as best as I can, coming to Turin, coming to Davis Cup, really important tournaments that I have ahead right now,” the 22-year-old said.
“Right now I just want to be back home, and let’s see what I’m going to do. Of course I’m gonna practice and prepare myself, and obviously I will try not to let this thing happen again.”
