Carlos Alcaraz 'on a different level' – Alexander Zverev gives honest assessment after defeat at Madrid Open

ByJames Hilsum

Published 03/05/2023 at 10:47 GMT

The 26-year-old was magnanimous in defeat to Carlos Alcaraz and had few complaints after the Spaniard prevailed in straight sets at the Madrid Open. It was a rude awakening for the German, after he cruised past Hugo Grenier in the previous round. Alcaraz will continue his defence at the tournament when he faces Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals in a bid to win a fourth title of the season.

Alexander Zverev gave an honest assessment after his straight-sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at the Madrid Open, admitting the Spaniard is "on a different level".

The former world No. 1 took only one hour and 23 minutes dispatch the German with a 6-1 6-2 victory.

Posting on his Instagram story, Zverev said: “It's gonna be a process with ups and downs.

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"Carlos Alcaraz is one of the best players in the world and is on a different level to me at the moment.

"Well done, Carlos Alcaraz, and hope to see you soon during a more competitive match again."

This fourth-round encounter was a rematch of last year’s final, and the Spaniard was in a ruthless mood after converting four of his 10 break points without conceding a break point on his serve.

The defeat could be a costly one for Zverev in terms of his ATP ranking, which is currently No. 16, but will lose 510 ranking points when the list is updated on May 8.

Zverev looks set to drop down to world No. 22, meaning the German will be out of the top 20 for the first time in 20 years.

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Meanwhile, it was a different story for Alcaraz, who will face Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals in his bid to win a fourth title of the season.

"For me, it's amazing to play at the level I played today," Alcaraz said after the match.

"It's been a question mark for me, this result is not normal for me. I played great, I feel really good right now and this match is giving me a lot of confidence.

"I did feel it [nervous] a little bit at the beginning, but you have to handle the nerves. The best players adapt really well. I want to be like them, trying not to show the opponent that I'm nervous at all.

"I just want to enjoy playing here in the Caja Magica in front of my home crowd. It's been amazing for me to play here. I just enjoy every moment."

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain celebrates a point against Alexander Zverev of Germany during the Fourth Round match on Day Nine of the Mutua Madrid Open at La Caja Magica

Image credit: Getty Images

Alcaraz added that his convincing win over Zverev will give him added confidence against Khachanov, who beat fifth seed Andrey Rublev 7-6(8) 6-4 earlier in the day.

"I will try to play this level [against Khachanov]," the 19-year-old said.

"I have to show that in the quarter-final. Playing this match gives me a lot of confidence going into the quarter-finals so let's see what happens."

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