Carlos Alcaraz, the four-time Grand Slam champion, recently witnessed an unexpected outcome after failing to advance past a formidable opponent in Paris. While he usually dominates on the court, this time Carlos was at the receiving end, playing against France’s Ugo Humbert. His spirits, however, are still high ahead of a major event in Turin.

In the second round of Paris Masters, Humbert snatched the match from Alcaraz. Thanks to the remarkable performance against the Spaniard, Ugo eventually won 6-1, 3-6, 7-5. Obviously, the World No. 2 didn’t expect such an outcome given his recent form. Speaking in a press conference, Alcaraz reflected on his performance and said, “I’m annoyed by the defeat.” He said he wanted to reach to the final round. Adding further, Carlos mentioned that it was a very close encounter. Undoubtedly, he “was hurt” by the opportunities he had at different intervals of the match that he couldn’t grab.

However, Carlos Alcaraz is not thinking too much about what he did at the Paris Masters; it’s behind him now. He’s already set his focus on the next major goal, the ATP Finals in Turin.

“In the end you have to think about the next thing, you have to think that this has happened, prepare the [Nitto ATP] Finals in the best possible way.” Right now, he’s “trying to learn from these matches.” He stressed on the fact that the game always keeps offering new opportunities in a short period of time “so let’s go for the next tournament.” Meanwhile, he also expressed his gratitude towards French sports fans who kept cheering for him.

Carlos Alcaraz thanks the crowd at Paris Masters for supporting him

The Spaniard revealed how overwhelmed he was over the response he received from the crowd at the event. “Today was more respectful than, you know, that match, which I appreciate, honestly,”  he said. He pointed out that despite his French opponent Humbert being the favorite, many fans clapped for him as well throughout the match. “It has been a really good match,” he added.

While not giving an excuse for his loss, he did mention that adjusting to the court was not easy at all. He felt that it was too fast “compared to other tournaments or the same tournaments from one year to the next.” Despite training a lot, he simply couldn’t adapt whatsoever due to a different conditions this time.

With only few days left before the start of ATP Finals, Carlos will try to concentrate on elevating his game. Yes, he’s been phenomenal this season, but it seems like there are still some aspects of his game he can improve before taking on the top-ranked contenders in Turin.

Turin will offer the perfect opportunity for Alcaraz to set the scores straight against the Fox and clinch yet another trophy before the end of 2024. Do you think the Spaniard will succeed? Can he really turn the things around once again? Let us know in the comments below.