"I see a lot of the comments": Carlos Alcaraz left hurt by online criticism in recent months

Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged that he is affected by the criticisms he receives on social media while trying to return to his best level. Just a year ago, the Spaniard won the Indian Wells title and reclaimed the world No. 1 spot after a seven-week interruption by Novak Djokovic. However, now he seems to be away from his best form.

The 20-year-old tennis player hasn't reached the final of a tournament since the Cincinnati Open in August 2023. While this might not be surprising for most players on the Tour, it's unusual for Alcaraz, who reached seven finals in 2022 and another seven until August 2023, winning 12 titles so far.

His reality at Tennis Paradise a year ago had him as the best player in the world, securing impressive victories against two of his main rivals: Jannik Sinner in the semifinals and Daniil Medvedev in the final. However, at that time, Alcaraz was already cautious about his results:

“I did perfect today,” Alcaraz said after ending Medvedev’s 19-match win streak in the final. “That’s why it looks so easy, but it wasn’t.”

The Spaniard has dealt with injuries that have affected his results. Recently, during the Golden Swing, he suffered a painful defeat in the quarterfinals of the Buenos Aires Open against Nicolas Jarry and couldn't defend his title. Even worse was his exit from the Rio Open, where he only played two games against Thiago Monteiro and ended up withdrawing, marking a disappointing stint in South America:

“It was difficult months for me,” Alcaraz said. “My confidence go down a little bit, and I have been struggling during the practice every day, try to keep my confidence high or as high as I can. Trying to be myself every day.”

“I’m not looking to losses or winning. I’m looking in every match how I feel, how I hit the ball, how I move,” he said.

The Spaniard mentioned that he is someone who uses his phone a lot and reads people's comments on social media, many of which are negative, so he tries to avoid reading them too much:

“I’m a guy that see a lot of the phone, and I see a lot of the comments that the people give to you,” he says. “Most of them are really good ones, but a few of them is the bad ones. You know, it’s difficult to deal with it, but that’s what I’m trying to do, to stay away from everything, be myself, and enjoy every single time that I stop on the court,” the world No. 2 concluded.