Carlos Alcaraz squandered away a one-set in his Australian Open quarterfinal clash against Novak Djokovic. He eventually went down 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 4-6 on Rod Laver Arena.
The Spaniard had taken their last match played at a Grand Slam, which was at last year’s Wimbledon final, coming back from a two-set deficit but could not produce the level needed to match his opponent on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media during his post-match press conference, Alcaraz said he knew where he went wrong in the contest. Noting that he had the momentum after taking the first set, the youngster said he let it slip away by taking the foot off the pedal slightly.
“Well, honestly I felt like I was controlling the match,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “And I let him get into the match again. I’m going to say that’s was the biggest mistake that I made today. “
The Spaniard said he needed to raise his level at the start of the second set to put the final nail in the coffin, but was unable to do that. That slight let-up, according to him, allowed Djokovic to make his way back into the contest and eventually cease control.
“In the second set I had to play a little bit better just to push him even more to the limit,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “Yeah, he saw that he had issues just moving a little bit in the second set. I had to push him a little bit more just to the limit, and I didn’t. I didn’t do it.”
“After that, I think he started to feel better and playing such a great level. That was my biggest mistake today,” he added.
“I had my chances” – Carlos Alcaraz after losing Australian Open QF to Novak Djokovic
Carlos Alcaraz conceded that he had his fair share of chances even in the latter stages of the match, but was quick to add that it is never easy playing against Novak Djokovic when he is hitting the ball at the level that he was during their quarterfinal showdown.
The youngster, who even had a slight opening in Djokovic’s last two service games, added that the match was close but gave his opponent credit for pulling away.
“Obviously when [Novak Djokovic] is at this level, it’s really difficult,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “I think I had my chances. It was a really close match.”
“I think most of the crucial points, it went to his side. I mean, when [Novak Djokovic] is playing at this level, it’s really difficult to find the way,” he added.
Djokovic, who is in pursuit of a record-extending 11th Australian Open crown, will take onĀ Alexander ZverevĀ in the semifinal.
