Carlos Alcaraz is out of the Miami Open following a shock defeat to David Goffin.
The Spaniard entered the tournament determined to have a strong campaign after his Indian Wells defeat to Jack Draper.
The 21-year-old could have become the new World number two if he won the title and if other results went his way.
But David Goffin, an ATP Tour veteran, ensured that he ended Alcaraz’s run in Florida before it really truly began.
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Carlos Alcaraz took a tight opening set against Goffin at the Miami Open.
Many thought Alcaraz would take control of the match from that point, but what followed was one of the upsets of the year so far.
The World number three succumbed to a 7-5, 3-6, 4-6 defeat to the Belgian, who emerged victorious against Alcaraz for the second time.
The four-time Grand Slam champion has now suffered successive defeats and post-match he explained the problem he had and where he is at mentally after a tough result.
“It was a very poor performance on my part, I admit it, he was a better player than me. I didn’t play well, and I didn’t feel good physically either,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“In these kinds of matches, when you don’t feel that confidence either in terms of tennis skills or physically, everything becomes much harder.
“I believe this was evident in the second and third sets where I couldn’t push myself to produce better tennis. I started playing worse from the beginning, making some mistakes until he broke my serve. Being a break down in the third set made me feel very bad.
“Mentally, I’m screwed, honestly; this is a tournament where I want to do well, and losing in the first round hurts a lot.”
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After failing to claim silverware over the North American hard court swing, Alcaraz will return to Europe.
April will mark the start of the European clay swing, a section of the year he missed the majority of in 2024 due to injury.
Alcaraz is due to compete at the Monte Carlo Masters while he has also been confirmed for the Barcelona Open.
He is also expected to play in Madrid and at the Italian Open, where Jannik Sinner is due to return from his suspension.
These tournaments will also build up to the French Open in May, where Alcaraz is the defending champion.
