“It’s tough for me” – Why Carlos Alcaraz has a problem with leading from the front

After losing to Grigor Dimitrov 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in the Shanghai Masters Round of 16, world No 2 Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he sometimes struggles to be the front-runner in a match.

“I think that’s a point that it’s tough for me,” he said afterwards. “You know, after the first set, when I win the first set, more or less, it’s tough for me to keep the focus at the beginning of the second set.

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“I’ll work on a few mistakes that, in certain moments, that I, you know, I have to put it in, and I didn’t. Those are the points that I have to work on.”

Alcaraz: I have to work on a few things to beat the best

The 20-year-old is not too disheartened, though, despite falling in the last four in Beijing last week.

“I always say that you can improve more from the defeat than the wins. After this trip [to China], I took a lot of lessons, to improve, to be better.

“As I said in Beijing, I had to work on a few things to beat the best guys. After this loss, I mean, it’s not too much time ago, so I have to think about it, but I will take a lot of lessons to improve in the practice before the tournament that I have ahead.

“I think I’m playing great tennis. Even if I didn’t make the quarter-final or losing in the semi-final, I think I’m playing great tennis. So I have to practise a hundred percent in these weeks before Basel, that’s the next tournament for me, so I’ll try to make my best in that tournament.”

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