Alcaraz: "I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but..."

Carlos Alcaraz disappointed on Monday. Facing Casper Ruud in his Masters opener, the Spaniard lost in just two sets (6-1, 7-5). Visibly ill, he was unable to find a solution to the Norwegian's problems.

Interviewed in the press conference, he looked back on this defeat, which puts him in a tricky situation as he still has Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev to face in his group: "Well, a few days before coming here, I fell ill at home.

And yes, the days I trained here, I felt good. Not great, but good. I could play. I felt I could get into the mix in training. Obviously, in a match, it's totally different. But today (Monday), I wasn't feeling well. This morning, I felt sick to my stomach.

After long exchanges today, I wasn't feeling well. I don't want to sound like I'm making excuses, but if I feel bad, I feel bad. That's what happened today."