French Open now the focus for defeated Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz said he will forge ahead with his Roland Garros preparation after exiting the Italian Open on Monday a 6-3, 7-6 (4) victim of qualifier Fabian Marozsan.

The player who will be seeded number one when play begins in Paris on May 28 admitted he was out played – but vowed to soldier on with his preparation for the clay court major.

“I’m going to rest a little bit, some days off for me,” the Spaniard said. “I really need some days to reset my mind and be fresh for Roland Garros.

“If I want to go to Paris in good shape, I have to practice, to be better. I’ve been playing so much that I couldn’t practice more than three, four days in a
row. 

“It’s going to be really helpful for me to have days at home  practicing and getting ready to go to Roland Garros.”

The second seed at the Foro Italico said he was out-played by his Hungarian opponent.

“He surprised me a lot, his level was really, really high. I’m sure he’s going to break the Top 100 very, very soon.”

The player who will be top seed in Paris said he was simply outplayed by his unknown opponent.

“I was perfect physically, I just didn’t feel comfortable. He was aggressive all the time. 

“He was playing inside the baseline all the time. It was tough for me to get into the match, into the rally. 

“I made a lot of mistakes that I usually don’t make too often.

“Obviously these days can happen in tennis, and you have to handle it. The second set was close, I had my chances, but I didn’t take the,

“He stayed at the same level all the time; he deserves the win.”