Alcaraz vows to improve in Miami after Draper loss: “I am upset that I couldn’t calm down”
The Spaniard missed out on the chance to become the first man to win Indian Wells for a third straight time
Tristan Lapierre/Tennis Majors
Carlos Alcaraz could not hide his disappointment on Saturday after he lost to Jack Draper in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open, but it was not because of the result, the Spaniard knowing that the Briton is in a rich vein of form and that at this level, losses can happen at any stage.
Instead, the Spaniard was annoyed only because he had not been able to find the equilibrium he needed to stay calm when he needed to.
“Obviously I wanted to win the third(Indian Wells title) in a row, but, I mean, I can’t pretend (he is going) to win every match,” he said. “I am not as upset about not getting the third one in a row. I am upset about myself, about the way that I approached the match, the way that I felt during the whole day, that I couldn’t calm down myself.”
“That’s, for me, the most disappointed thing that I’m feeling right now, because, I mean, is probably one of the worst sets that I have played in my whole career, the first set.”
“Last time I lost here was semi-final, then I won in Miami”
Alcaraz was all at sea in the first set of the semi-final but bounced back well to blitz Draper in the second, only to falter again in the third when, despite a late rally, he was second-best to the Briton.
Despite the loss, Alcaraz vowed to bounce back again and perform better in the Miami Open, which begins this week.
“How much it’s gonna take to (get over) the upset? Not too much,” he said. “Not too much. Because I consider myself a person who learns from the fails, from the losses. The last time that I lost here was the semi-final, and after all, I won Miami, so I think I will go for it. I will learn from that match, and I will make the most of myself in Miami.”
