An hour after one of the biggest occasions of his career had ended in despair, Carlos Alcaraz was still processing how things had gone so badly wrong during his French Open semi-final against Novak Djokovic. With the match level after two intense but hardly overwhelming sets, Alcaraz’s body began to cramp. In the final two sets, he was uncompetitive until the end.
After such a disappointing outcome, many other players might have tried to play down the events on the court, trying not to give away too much information to rivals, or might even have been too distraught to offer any kind of explanation. It was striking how frank and honest Alcaraz was. He admitted he had simply been too tense and those nerves had caused his cramps. While he usually tackles the pressure moments with a smile, nerves had been present in the pit of his stomach throughout the day and, eventually, they consumed him.
