Shock in New York - Alcaraz eliminated by world No.74: "I can't control myself, it's a problem"

He seemed unstoppable, complete, untouchable. Sure, Novak Djokovic is still the greatest of all time, and his class would ultimately prevail, but Carlos Alcaraz looked like the perfect soldier, ready to conquer the world once the Serbian ace decided he had enough. He appeared so until today, when it became clear that even Carlitos is vulnerable. In the second round of the US Open, the young man from Murcia suffered a shocking defeat to the world’s 74th-ranked player, Botic van de Zandschulp - 1:6, 5:7, 4:6.

And there are no excuses here - no injuries or heat to blame. Even Alcaraz had to admit that something was seriously off. And when it comes to tennis, the first place to look for problems is usually in the head...

"It's as if I've taken a step backward mentally in this tournament. I don't understand why. I don't know how to control myself, and that's a problem for me," Alcaraz said after the match.

He didn't look like himself. Then again, he didn't in the first round against Li Tu either, where he dropped a set. But no one expected a loss to the world No. 74. He hasn’t exited a Grand Slam this early since Wimbledon 2021. Never in his career has he been knocked out of one of the four biggest tennis tournaments by a player outside the top 10. Zandschulp’s greatest achievement was reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2022. In the last two years, he hadn’t made it past the third round.

But today, he was firing missiles, likely emboldened by some inexplicable confusion in Alcaraz’s game. The 2022 US Open champion looked at the racket in his hand as if it were a foreign object. Perhaps he overburdened himself in recent months?

"Yes, the summer was very demanding. There were moments when I felt disconnected. Maybe I need more time as a person. Perhaps a packed schedule doesn't suit me. Maybe I don’t have as much energy as I thought I did. I need more days off before Grand Slam tournaments."

Now it’s too late for regrets. Alcaraz will lose 670 points on the ATP rankings due to this defeat, and Alexander Zverev will overtake him. Jannik Sinner’s position at the top is now definitely out of reach. However, that's not as significant as the impression that something is breaking within Carlos himself.

"I was playing against both my opponent and myself. Some emotions surfaced that I couldn’t control. It was a rollercoaster in my brain. I have to stop it. When I wanted to come back, it was already too late. This isn’t the first time I've felt this way; I’ll have to learn from it."

Alcaraz’s elimination, along with earlier losses by Stefanos Tsitsipas and Denis Shapovalov, has significantly cleared the path to the final for Jannik Sinner, the officially top-ranked player in the world, though with a major stain following the doping scandal that shook the tennis world. It’s now quite clear that one of the semifinal spots will be filled by a player who hasn’t had that privilege before. Whether it’s Van de Zandschulp, Draper, Goffin, Tomas Machac, De Minaur, Evans, Arnaldi, or Thompson doesn’t really matter. Against all of them, Sinner will be the overwhelming favorite.

Lastly, an interesting fact: this US Open is the first Grand Slam tournament since 1999 in which no Spanish player will be in the third round. Back then, Carlos Moyá, Galo Blanco, and Fernando Vicente all underperformed. This time, Alejandro Davidovich, Albert Ramos, Pablo Carreño, and Jaume Munar were all eliminated in the first round, while in the second round, Roberto Bautista, Pedro Martinez, Roberto Carballés, and of course, Alcaraz, also exited.