“I’m Still in the Right Way”: Alcaraz unbothered after Miami Open exit
Carlos Alcaraz lost to Sebastian Korda in Miami but refused to sound the alarm, pointing to a positive week’s work and a clay season he can’t wait for.
Carlos Alcaraz, Miami 2026 | Larry Marano/Shutterstock /SIPA
The target on Carlos Alcaraz’s back keeps producing the same result: opponents who play the match of their lives against him. On Sunday, it cost him.
Two weeks after joking at Indian Wells that “sometimes I just get tired of playing Roger Federer every round,” the world No. 1 ran into another inspired performance on Sunday, falling to American Sebastian Korda 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 at the Miami Open.
Alcaraz was measured in his assessment afterward, acknowledging the American deserved it. “I think Sebi was incredible today. Played such a great game. A lot of tight, tight moments that I just didn’t make the most of. I think he was better on those points, on those moments. I would say that was the key of the match. So just congrats to him. I think he deserved it.”
The match hinged on contrasting nerve in the pivotal moments. Alcaraz saved himself in the second set by capitalizing on a visible dip in Korda’s level as the American served for the match. “Closing a match is really difficult. You think about a lot of things. Probably you’re not as relaxed as you could feel when you’re playing in the whole match. It’s like everything comes to you. It’s really difficult to deal with. He just made three mistakes in a row that he didn’t make in the whole match. I just made the most of it. I stayed there.” But Korda did not crack a second time. “On 5-4 in the third set, I think he just knew what he had to do. He just played with a lot of first serve. It’s kind of he was in that moment before. He just dealt with that much, much better.”
Alcaraz : “insane level”
It is a dynamic Alcaraz has grown increasingly familiar with. After battling past Rinderknech at Indian Wells, he had said he sometimes felt like his opponents turned into Federer against him — playing “really an insane level,” adding that “if they play that level every match, they should be higher in the ranking.”On Sunday, the frustration was still there, even if the smile was too. “It’s not really good, to be honest. It’s a bit annoying. But you have to accept it. You have to keep it going and try your best.” He added: “I know from now on they are going to play like that. I just got to be ready. I will try to play better on those moments. I will try not to let them stay in all the match. I will try to push them to the limit even more.”
Despite the defeat — his second of the season after the Indian Wells semifinal loss to Medvedev – Alcaraz insisted the broader picture remains encouraging. “With my team, we saw in all parts of the game what I did great and what I did good. I think the process has been good. Besides the loss today, I think I’m still in the right way.”
With the clay season now approaching — his most natural surface and the one where he has claimed two Roland Garros titles — Alcaraz said he plans to decompress before refocusing. “My mind right now is to take some days off, to reset my mind, reset the batteries, be ready and in a good shape for the clay season.”
