Carlos Alcaraz is having a rough patch now. The Spaniard has once again suffered a defeat. In the afternoon encounter, Casper Ruud dominated the first set before rallying from 5-2 down in the second to defeat an out-of-sorts Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 7-5. The former struggled with a stomach issue and looked far from the player who won two Grand Slams this year and struggled against Ruud.
It was Ruud’s first victory over Alcaraz in five career encounters, and the result may make it tough for Alcaraz to go past the round-robin stage at the season-ending event for the top eight players. Ruud, who had previously appeared in the championship match in 2022, took advantage of the Spaniard’s poor play to win the match in 86 minutes. Alcaraz struggled to hold serve in the first six games.
Carlos Alcaraz was unable to convert five break points as he lost the first set in 36 minutes. Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, hopes to be the first Spaniard to win the coveted year-end championship since Alex Corretja in 1998. He will next look to win on Wednesday, when he faces Andrey Rublev after losing 6-4 6-4 to Alexander Zverev.
Carlos Alcaraz will not become the next ‘Rafael Nadal’
Is this the end of Carlos Alcaraz’s unstoppable aura? After the defeat, Alcaraz said: “A few days before coming here I got sick at home. The days that I was practising here, it was feeling OK. Not pretty good, but OK. I could play, I could feel that I could get into the rallies, in the practice. Obviously, in the matches, it’s different.”
He also discussed mental fatigue as the season concluded. This is the final individual competition for most tennis players, however several, like Alcaraz, will compete in the Davis Cup in Malaga at the end of November, immediately after the ATP Finals. The Spaniard said, “I dare say all players are mentally tired. If someone says they feel fresh, they’re lying. Some handle it better than others. I’m tired.”
