The center court saga: Alcaraz's 'worst' match and its repercussions

Spain’s young tennis star Carlos Alcaraz believes he played the ‘worst’ game of his career during the recent defeat in the Cincinnati Open. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat to French veteran tennis player Gael Monfils in the round of 32 with a score of 4-6, 7-6, 6-4. It was the first outing for the current world number three after participating in the Paris Olympics, where he finished with a silver medal in the singles category after losing in the final to Djokovic in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 7-6. While talking to the media after the match, Alcaraz said he played the ‘worst’ game of his career against Monfils. He also stated that it was ‘really tough’ for him as he could not play according to his plan.

"It was really, really tough for me,” he said. “I feel like it was the worst match that I have ever played in my career. Couldn't play, honestly. I've been practicing really well in this tournament. The previous days I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well. Probably I felt like it was another sport playing on the center court than the other courts. The balls were faster on the Center Court, bounce much, much more than other courts.”

The defeat will be a severe blow in Alcaraz’s pursuit of becoming world number one as the reigning top player in the ATP rankings. Sinner has booked his place in the quarterfinal after being awarded a walkover against Australia’s Jordan Thompson. Before the tournament started, the gap between Sinner and Alcaraz was just 820 points, whereas currently, it has increased to 1,600 points. Interestingly, Monfils, who defeated Alcaraz in one of his most memorable wins, suffered a defeat in the round of 16 the same day to Denmark’s Holger Rune with a score of 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.