Alcaraz: "I gave a very poor performance, I'm upset"

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For many Spaniards, it must have been a bitter awakening to read about the defeat of Carlos Alcaraz at the Miami Open 2025. David Goffin wasn't the most intimidating opponent, although the Belgian already knew what it felt like to beat the player from Murcia. This dawn he recovered that feeling once again by defeating him in three sets, eliminating one of the top favorites from the tournament. Before heading back home and starting to think about the clay court season, Carlitos spoke with the press to self-critique his performance and confess how hurt he feels after this unexpected stumble.

Assessment of the match

"It was a very poor performance on my part, I admit it, he was a better player than me. After the first set, I think he started to play better while my level declined, even though he was already playing well. His serving percentage helped him a lot to raise the level, but overall, I think it was a very poor performance on my part. I didn't play well, and I didn't feel good physically either. In these kinds of matches, when you don't feel that confidence either in terms of tennis skills or physically, everything becomes much harder. I believe this was evident in the second and third sets where I couldn't push myself to produce a better tennis. I started playing worse from the beginning, making some mistakes until he broke my serve. Being a break down in the third set made me feel very bad."

Everything under control before the match

"I felt great, I was fine, just a little nervous as usual before each match, but nothing out of the ordinary in these situations, nothing I hadn't felt before. I felt prepared, convinced that I could bring out a good level of tennis, but it didn't happen in the end. I did everything right before the match, it wasn't a matter of an injury or any other pain, I was perfectly fine before the match. I did have the feeling after the first set that this match was going to be tougher than others before, then I started to feel a bit more tired in my legs, especially towards the end of the second set."

Dispute with the umpire in the second set

"In no way did it make me lose focus. I simply told the chair umpire that the time rule is ridiculous, they want to make tennis a bit faster, make sure that it is, but the margins are ridiculous. I finished the point at the net and barely had time to do my routines, nor for the ball kid to do their job, it was noticeable they were a bit confused, not knowing exactly what to do. Ultimately, you waste more time going to the towel, that's why I complained because I feel the time we have from finishing the point until requesting new balls is ridiculous."

How are you personally feeling?

"I don't yet know how the next few days will be for me; there will be time to analyze what happened and also to forget it. I know this part of the season very well; I've played great tennis in the past at these tournaments, but after what happened today, I'm not sure what to say. Mentally, I'm screwed, honestly; this is a tournament where I want to do well, and losing in the first round hurts a lot."

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Alcaraz: “He dado un nivel muy pobre, me voy jodido"