Carlos Alcaraz reveals he cried after losing to Novak Djokovic at ATP Finals 2023

Carlos Alcaraz recently revealed that he cried after suffering a defeat at the hands of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of the ATP Finals 2023.

The tournament, held in Turin, Italy, commenced on November 12 and concluded on November 19, with Djokovic being crowned as the champion for a record seventh time. He overtook Roger Federer (6) in the all-time tally.

Alcaraz produced a dismal show against the Serb in the semifinal as he was bundled out in an hour and 30 minutes. He smashed a total of ten aces, yet he could maintain a 62 percent conversion rate on his first serve against the Serb's 81.

Moreover, he created four break-point opportunities on the Serb's serve but couldn't convert any. In turn, he was broken thrice, which resulted in a 6-3, 6-3 loss.

Recently, Marca asked Alcaraz several questions, one of which required him to pick a loss that made him cry. He replied:

"I'm not sure, but I would say after losing in the semifinals of the ATP Finals in Turin against Djokovic."

Alcaraz had topped the Red Group in the round-robin stage in Turin with wins over Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev, although he lost to Alexander Zverev 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4 in his opener.

The Spaniard has been on a downslide as he's yet to lay hands on a new trophy since winning Wimbledon in July 2023. He hobbled out of the Rio Open with an ankle injury on Tuesday, February 20.

The injury came days after Alcaraz, the defending champion, faced a crushing defeat against Nicolas Jarry in the Argentina Open. In the exchange with Marca, Alcaraz also listed out a couple of other defeats that had hurt him.

"There have been several defeats that have hurt me, like those of Zverev and Djokovic in the ATP Finals and the last one of Jarry in Buenos Aires," Carlos Alcaraz added.

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Novak Djokovic leads Carlos Alcaraz 3-2 in head-to-head

Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have thus far played five matches, including the aforementioned encounter at the ATP Finals 2023, against each other. Notably, the Serb holds a marginal lead of 3-2 in the head-to-head record.

The duo first played against each other in the semifinal clash of the Madrid Open in 2022. Alcaraz bettered the Serb 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) and went on to lift the trophy.

Djokovic leveled things up with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 thumping over a cramping Alcaraz at the French Open 2023. The Spaniard hit back and defeated the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the Wimbledon summit clash a few months later.

The Serb, however, avenged the loss quickly as he went past Carlos Alcaraz in the Cincinnati Masters final in August. Notably, this defeat too had wet the youngster's eyes.