"It was my first match on Centre Court, Jannik managed the pressure better than me" - Carlos Alcaraz after Wimbledon 4R loss to Jannik Sinner

A dejected Carlos Alcaraz said after his Wimbledon fourth-round loss to Jannik Sinner on Sunday that the Italian was the better player on the day.

Making his debut on Centre Court, Alcaraz was slow off the blocks as Sinner grabbed the opener for the loss of just one game. An early break in the second sufficed as the Italian took a stranglehold on the match.

Alcaraz provided a better account of himself in the third, saving two match points in the tie-break to reduce arrears. However, his comeback ran out of steam as Sinner recovered from a 40-0 deficit to go 4-1 up before serving out victory four games later.

In his press conference, Alcaraz had no qualms admitting that the pressure of the occasion got to him, leading to too many errors, which Sinner capitalized on.

"He was better, and he deserved to win," said Alcaraz. "Obviously, I didn't play at the expected level. I started too erratically, the first two sets were bad and that already happened to me in Paris."

The 19-year-old added that he cannot afford to start poorly against the best players at the Majors and get bogged down by the enormity of the occasion. He also credited Sinner for managing the pressure better.

"It's something (starting poorly) I have to correct, and I'm going to work to do it because I can't afford that playing against the best in Grand Slam tournaments. It was my first match on Centre Court and, of course, I went out on the court quite nervous. Jannik managed the pressure better than me," Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz admitted that he squandered several opportunities in the fourth. After dropping serve to trail 3-1, the Spaniard found himself 40-0 ahead in the next game, only for Sinner to slam the door shut with five straight points.

"In the fourth set, I had several opportunities that I couldn't take advantage of. It was difficult to go behind on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter," rued the Spaniard.

---

"I'm going to try to be one of the best players in the world" - Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz (right) greets Jannik Sinner at the net

Carlos Alcaraz had only one win on grass - at Wimbledon last year - before arriving at SW19 last week.

The Spaniard was taken the distance by veteran German Jan-Lennard Struff in his tournament opener. However, Alcaraz reeled off successive straight-set wins as he began to learn the nuances of playing on grass.

Against Sinner, though, the young Spaniard was found wanting, making a poor start and never recovering. Nevertheless, Alcaraz hopes to be one of the best players in the world and have a burgeoning rivalry with Sinner, who became the youngest Wimbledon quarterfinalist in nearly a decade.

"I'm going to try to be one of the best players in the world, and I think Jannik is also in a position to do so, so I hope we have an important rivalry and fight against each other for the best tournaments in the world," the Spaniard said.

Carlos Alcaraz expressed hope that he can become a great player on grass and not arrive at Wimbledon directly from Roland Garros.

"I think I can be a great grass court player after analysing the experience of this season. I hope that next season I can compete in a tournament prior to Wimbledon," he concluded.

Sinner will take on three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic on Tuesday in the quarterfinals.