SUMMARY
- Carlos Alcaraz was the defending champion at the Argentina Open, but he crashed out in the semifinals.
- As he was on the verge of losing, Carlos smashed his racket to the ground.
Carlos Alcaraz is one of the most promising young players on the tour, but he has been struggling of late. The Spaniard is still on the hunt for his next title, but the silverware seems to evade him. As he crashed out of the Argentina Open, the one area that needs improvement is glaringly obvious: his temper.
Carlos took to the courts in Buenos Aires as the defending champion. After his Australian Open run, many expected Alcaraz to have an easy ride. Moreover, Carlos was also the only top-ten player in the tournament. Chilean star Nicolas Jarry dashed his dreams of winning the title, thus inadvertently lengthening his title drought.
Jarry scored one of the biggest wins of his career, as he defeated Carlos 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, in straight sets. Alcaraz could not find his rhythm, and he seemed annoyed with himself. As Jarry closed in on victory in the final set, Carlos gave in to his frustration.
Heard no video was available for this racket throw. I went to check my stream.
I am sure Alcaraz will come back to his level and also learn to manage emotions better. He has been at the top level and will be back undoubtedly. And also has all means to work on mental strength. pic.twitter.com/pcWKEvHS0h
— Mahee, Ph.D., FHEA (@tkamal16) February 18, 2024
Alcaraz lost a point in the final game of the match, allowing Jarry to move to 40-40. He threw his racket to the ground, and it bounced all the way to the other side of the court.
Following his defeat, Alcaraz spoke of his troubles. “It’s a difficult defeat, it hurt me a lot. There are many things to improve, and my level has to go up. I played good tennis but very far from my real level,” he said (via Tennis365).
Carlos Alcaraz has been struggling, not only with his tennis but also with his temper. This is just another instance of the Spaniard trying his best but meeting with failure. Hopefully, this dry run will end soon.
The title drought continues for Carlos Alcaraz
The world No. 2 proved his mettle when he defeated Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Unfortunately, Carlos has not won a single title in seven months since then.
The last time Carlos made it to the finals of a tournament was at the Cincinnati Open in August 2023. Even though he lost the match against Djokovic, he put up a good fight. Alcaraz has seen a sharp decline in form ever since.
🇪🇸 🇦🇷 Carlos Alcaraz is OUT of Buenos Aires in the SF.
His last final was in August 2023 in Cincinnati 6 months ago.
He hasn’t won a title since his famous Wimbledon win.
Still lots of work to be done. What does he need to change? pic.twitter.com/Tfr16ArGFR
— Swish 🍒 (@Zwxsh) February 17, 2024
Carlos lost to Daniil Medvedev in the US Open semifinals, and then to Jannik Sinner at the China Open. He followed it up with abysmal performances at the Shanghai Masters and Paris Masters. As Alcaraz crashed out of tournaments early, he failed to retake the top spot from Novak in the rankings.
He faced Novak once again in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals. Alcaraz hoped for his luck to change at the Australian Open, but Alexander Zverev knocked him out in the quarterfinals.
The season is only in its second month, and Carlos Alcaraz will find plenty of opportunities to find his form. He hopes to do it soon too, or his rank will be in jeopardy.
