Carlos Alcaraz’s reign as world No 1 began with a 7-5 6-3 defeat to David Goffin at the Astana Open on Tuesday and the Spaniard said he will have to learn how to play against opponents who dialled up the pressure and aggression.
Alcaraz, the youngest player to top the men’s world rankings, was broken five times by Goffin. “He played better than me, really, really aggressive,” 19-year-old Alcaraz, who won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, said.
“I couldn’t handle that pressure he was pushing on me and of course, it’s something I have to learn and take lessons from this match.
“Coming back to competition is never easy. He played two matches here on this court. It’s not easy to get used to. It’s really, really slow,” Alcaraz said.
“It was really tough on me, for my confidence.”
Alcaraz, who has qualified for the season-ending ATP Finals, is next scheduled to compete at the ATP 500 event in Basel, Switzerland, later in October.
Meanwhile, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) is to work with the women’s body (WTA) to ensure players can play in WTA and ITF tournaments after Iga Swiatek opted to skip the Billie Jean King Cup, the world tennis governing body said.
World No 1 Swiatek said she had no choice but to pull out of the November 8-13 finals citing potential travel fatigue as the tournament in Glasgow begins a day after the WTA Finals wraps up in Fort Worth, Texas.
“The ITF is sorry that Iga Swiatek is unable to take part … and recognises the schedule for the two major year-end events presents a challenge for players competing in both events,” ITF president David Haggerty said.
“We have been working with the WTA to try to co-ordinate suitable dates. While we were able to confirm the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in Glasgow back in June, the WTA finals venue in Fort Worth was confirmed during the US Open and restricted in terms of available dates.”
Poland are in Group D with the Czech Republic and the US in the 12-team tournament. Haggerty said the ITF had revised the schedule to ensure Poland and the US started their campaign as late as possible.
“We are committed to working with the WTA on the 2023 schedule so we have a better transition between the two competitions,” he said.
Reuters
