An blunt Carlos Alcaraz said he had played “a bad level” in his surprise of Miami’s defeat in the second round by David Goffin.
The quadruple major champion Alcaraz was struggling for a consistency in a defeat of 5-7 6-4 6-3 against the world number 55 in Belgium.
Alcaraz of Spain had won the title of Miami open in 2022 and reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week.
“I thought I was going to play a very good tennis, but that did not happen,” said Alcaraz, 21.
“I didn’t feel well in my legs – I was not injured, I was not sick. I felt perfectly before the match.
“In general, it was a bad level on my part.”
On the other hand, Novak Djokovic succeeded in his sequence of three defeats with a victory of 6-0 7-6 (7-1) against Rinky Hijikata in Australia.
Alcaraz made 42 uncomposed mistakes against Goffin, who is the first player outside the Top-30 to beat the world number three.
“It is this kind of night that I will remember with certainty – against Carlos and in a stadium like that,” said Goffin.
