When Carlos Alcaraz lost to Novak Djokovic at the ATP Finals, he admitted that it broke his heart. The Spaniard lost in straight sets in their semifinal match, which was their most lopsided defeat to date. Alcaraz, who defeated Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, is still searching for his first championship, and the 20-year-old has responded to the growing pressure as his trophy drought persists.

Alcaraz has fallen short of his high hopes despite 2023 being off to a fantastic start. Despite winning six titles in the first seven months of the previous year, the world No. 2 hasn’t even made it to a final since August. In the fall, he lost three straight matches—the Shanghai Masters, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals.

Alcaraz was able to advance to the semi-finals and stay in the competition because of the format of the ATP Finals. But he lost badly to Djokovic 6-3 6-2 to complete the season on a bad note. For the first time, their match concluded in straight sets, and the two-time Grand Slam champion has now disclosed the extent of his pain over the outcome.

“I’m not sure, but I would say after losing in the semi-finals of the ATP Finals in Turin against Djokovic,” Alcaraz said to Marca when asked when he had last sobbed over a loss. The world No. 2 ranked the match as one of his most damaging as well.

“I’ve been hurt by a number of losses, including the ones against [Nicolas] Jarry in Buenos Aires and [Alexander] Zverev and Djokovic in the ATP Finals,” Alcaraz continued, alluding to his most recent setback in the Argentina Open semifinal.

Alcaraz’s most recent match was the one he finished against Jarry because he had to quit his Rio Open opening after just two games. At 1-1, the 20-year-old ceased playing when he suffered an ankle injury during the second point. Since then, he has attested to having had a grade II lateral sprain.

Alcaraz is the defending champion at Indian Wells, so that indicates that he should be back in time. The Spaniard has stated that he isn’t concerned by his title drought, even though he will be hoping that the positive memories of his championship run from the previous year would help him break his seven-month trophy drought.

To be honest, I don’t worry. The world No. 2 stated, “I don’t pay much attention to it because the year is very long.” “Obviously, I want to win again because I want to do well in every competition I participate in. I make an effort not to become more irate than is required over not receiving titles and outcomes.

“Every moment that goes by and every setback must be used as a teaching opportunity. These days, my main focus is on improving my game reading skills and managing certain situations, both of which I need to do.