The shockwaves following Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open exit are continuing to reverberate around the tennis world and now former Spanish star Feliciano Lopez believes ‘exhaustion’ was the key factor in his loss against Botic van De Zandschulp.
The world No 3 came into the tournament in New York aiming to win three Grand Slam titles in succession, having triumphed at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Yet he could not get past the second round stage as world number 74 Van De Zandschulp produced the result of his life to win 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 in front of a stunned Arthur Ashe crowd.
The Dutchman, who has previously been ranked as high as No 22 in the world, was helped considerably by an erratic and error-strewn performance from Alcaraz that the Spaniard occasionally has in his locker.
Jack Draper will have been an interested observer as he was due to meet Alcaraz in Saturday’s third round, but all of a sudden the British number one’s path to the latter stages of the tournament has opened up.
Novak Djokovic will also have enjoyed his late-night viewing as the biggest obstacle between him and a record-breaking 25th grand slam title is now going home.
Carlos Alcaraz News
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open loss: 5 players who benefit most – with rankings boosts for Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev secured
Carlos Alcaraz is one of 4 men to hold record that eluded Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer
“I am a little bit lost for words, it has been an incredible evening for me,” De Zandschulp, who had never beaten a top-10 player at a grand slam, said.
“It’s an unbelievable night. I got a lot of confidence from the last match. From point one I believed I had a chance and you can see how it sometimes turns out.
“I had some nerves but if you want to beat one of these guys you have to be calm and keep your head otherwise they can take advantage.”
Now former Spanish Davis Cup star Feliciano Lopez has revealed Alcaraz’s ability to compete at the US Open was hugely impacted by a frantic schedule that meant he was running on empty by the time he got to New York.
With the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympics crammed into is schedule over the last couple of months, Lopez suggested Alcaraz’s defeat in New York was down to fatigue.
“It was a huge disappointment,” Lopez told Sky Sports.
“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.
“He didn’t look like he was enjoying himself on the court. He is someone who needs to be happy to play well and he didn’t look happy in this match.
“He didn’t find a way to change what was happening. He was mentally gone.”