Alcaraz says nerves got the better of him against Draper

Carlos Alcarazs hopes of capturing a third successive Indian Wells title went up in smoke on Saturday and the Spaniard said his inability to tame his nerves was more of a disappointment than the stunning semi-final defeat by Jack Draper.

The 21-year-old was gunning for a rare three-peat in the California desert tournament, a feat achieved by Roger Federer (2004-06) and Novak Djokovic (2014-16),but he crashed 6-1 0-6 6-4 against Draper.

Obviously I wanted to win the third in a row, but I cant pretend to win every match. Im not as upset about not getting the third one in a row, Alcaraz told reporters.

Im upset about myself, about the way that I approached the match, the way that I felt during the whole day, that I couldnt calm down myself.

It was probably one of the worst sets Ive played in my whole career, the first set. That means how nervous I was before the match, during the whole day. Its really disappointing.

Alcaraz said he was too focused on Drapers game and that led to a second defeat by the Briton in five meetings.

When youre thinking more about the opponent than yourself, then its a big problem ... hes really tough, really solid, and it was going to be a really physical match, he added

The four-times Grand Slam champion said he would learn from the defeat and turn his focus on the Miami Open.

I consider myself a person who learns from failures, from losses, added Alcaraz.

The last time I lost here was the semi-finals (in 2022),and after (that) I won Miami, so Ill go for it. Ill learn from that match and make the most in Miami. REUTERS

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