The surprising downfall of four-time Grand Slam champ, Carlos Alcaraz

Former world number 12 Feliciano Lopez believes that the calendar congestion is one of the primary reason which led to world number three Carlos Alcaraz’s untimely exit from the US Open. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best player 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 exit from the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year as he lost to Netherlands’ Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 7-5, 6-4. It was the first time when the four-time Grand Slam was knocked out of the US Open before the quarterfinals stage.

Lopez, while speaking to Sky Sports as quoted by Tennis365, highlighted that the tough schedule was one of the primary reason which led to Alcaraz playing below his normal level. The 42-year-old highlighted how the Spaniard continuously played in major events and because of the Paris Olympics, he had little to no break this year before the start of the US Open.

“It was a huge disappointment,” he said. “Nobody was expecting Carlos to lose, but he has reached this point of the season mentally exhausted. This year, the calendar was more demanding and since Roland Garros, he has had no rest. He won Roland Garros, he won Wimbledon. He lost the final at the Olympics. He has only had a few days of rest between Roland Garros and the US Open, so I think he was mentally and physically exhausted. The mental pressure is something he has handled so well, but it has all come together for him now. So he needs to regroup and try and finish this season with more enthusiasm. He had two days off after the French and three days off after Wimbledon. That was it. In the end, it was too much.”