WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz throws his racket after shock defeat as he reveals one area where he has to improve
Carlos Alcaraz gestures during a match
Carlos Alcaraz’s mini trophy drought continues and he admitted there is one important area where he needs to up his game following his defeat in the semi-final of the Argentina Open.
World No 2 Alcaraz has not won a title since he beat Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon July last year while his last appearance in a final came in August when he lost against the Serbian at the Cincinnati Open.
With the Spaniard the only top-10 player in the Buenos Aires field, he was expected to have an easy ride but his journey was ended in the last four by world No 20 Nicolas Jarry as the Chilean claimed one of the biggest wins of his career with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-3 scoreline.
The top seed cut a frustrating figure for most of the match and with Jarry closing in on victory in the final game of the second set, he threw his racket to the ground after losing a point at 40-40 on the Chilean’s serve.
The racket bounced all the way to the other side of the court and not long after Alcaraz made his exit from the tournament as Jarry won on his second match point
The 20-year-old opened up about his struggles after the match as he admitted he has “to read the matches better”.
“It’s a difficult defeat, it hurt me a lot,” he said. “There are many things to improve, and my level has to go up. I played good tennis but very far from my real level.
“I felt good physically and it’s important, and I think that with work I will get better… but having opportunities, is difficult.
“The positive thing is that I see that I have a lot of things to improve. Learning that I have to read the matches better, to give my best version in the moments of tension. Today I lacked that in the 0-30, in the break-points, to be able to play differently there.”
Alcaraz will not have too much time to mull over his latest defeat as he returns to action at the Rio Open next week. Last year he finished runner-up to Cameron Norrie.