While there may be many similarities between Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal, there lies one major difference. It is the showcase of emotions during the match. 22-time Grand Slam Nadal often kept it cool and kept his emotions under check. However, Alcaraz is known to be more expressive and often lets his feelings come out through his body language. A glaring example of this occurred at the ongoing China Open. However, he defended his act which caused a bit of controversy.

Earlier today, the Spanish sensation defeated Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the round of 32 match at the China Open. Although Alcaraz prevailed in straight sets 6-4, 6-4, things didn’t pan out to be as smooth as planned. Toward the end of the first set, he saved three break points after being love-40 down and went on to win the set. During that game, Alcaraz even received a time violation that left him frustrated. Later, he explained his burst of emotions during the post-match press conference.

Alcaraz revealed, “Obviously, I was little bit mad about the time rule because I feel like I have no time. I have to run between points. I have no time to have a break, to rest or to breathe. I mean, if I finish the point at the net, which was the case, I have no time to go to the towel and do my routine. I was a little bit mad about it. Yeah, the emotions of the close the first set, it was really important for me coming to the second set with energy and confident. That’s what I did.”

However, this is not the first time we have witnessed an intense burst of emotions from Alcaraz during the match. During his US Open loss this year, a similar incident occurred.

Carlos Alcaraz admitted to fighting himself during US Open defeat

After winning back-to-back titles at the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, Alcaraz was expected to dig deep at the US Open this year. However, he suffered a shocking defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round. Alcaraz was caught off-guard by his opponent’s wonderful performance and had no answers. As a result, emotions were all over the place for the young Spaniard.

After his defeat, Alcaraz admitted, “It was a fight against myself in my mind during the match. In tennis, you are playing against someone that wants the same as you. To win. You have to be as calm as you can to think better in the match and try to do good things. Today I was playing against the opponent as well as myself in my mind. A lot of emotions I couldn’t control. I was up in some points. Then I’d lose some points and get down. It was a rollercoaster in my mind.”

However, it didn’t require long for Alcaraz to overcome his US Open setback. He came back strongly and helped Team Europe lift the Laver Cup. Additionally, he looks like a strong contender to win the China Open as well. The Spaniard will next face Tallon Griekspoor in the pre-quarterfinal.