‘People think I have to win every match’ says Carlos Alcaraz as he heads to Rio Open

Carlos Alcaraz says there are great expectations on his shoulders to win every match.

The world number two lost in the semi-finals of the Buenos Aires ATP 250 last week to Nicolas Jarry. He went in to the tournament as top seed and defending champion.

It follows his quarter-final defeat at the hands of Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open just a couple of weeks earlier.

The young Spaniard says the defeat was hurtful and he knows he needs to improve, and deal with the growing expectations.

“It has been a difficult defeat for me, it has hurt me a lot,” said the two-time Grand Slam Champion. “There are many things to improve. The level has to rise, I have played good tennis but far from my real level.

“I have prepared well, physically I feel good. But this type of defeats hurt, you have to know how to read the games better and from there move forward, there is no other option.

“There is great expectation in me and in the tournaments where I go, people think that I have to win every match and in the end this is tennis, there are many players who have a high level.

“Right now I see that those who are up there, in certain moments, are the ones that make the difference and that is where I have to improve,” he explained.

“It is a subject that I have been contemplating for quite some time, in trying to take advantage of certain moments, on break balls and on balls against are moments that I have to handle in a better way.”

Alcaraz goes into the Rio de Janeiro ATP 500 as top seed and will be hoping to emulate his 2022 title win.