Reflecting on his painful Paris collapse on Thursday, Carlos Alcaraz has come to a conclusion: He will learn and grow from a disappointing defeat.
The 18-year-old Spaniard squandered a 5-0 second-set lead dropping seven straight games in a 6-4, 7-5 loss to 103rd-ranked Frenchman Hugo Gaston at the Rolex Paris Masters.
More: Gaston Upsets Alcaraz in Paris
Alcaraz admitted he was unnerved by vocal French fans who inspired Gaston's comeback, but vowed in an Instagram post he will "come back stronger with lessons learned."
"It is never easy to play with the public against and yesterday it proved, I knew it would be difficult to deal with the atmosphere that existed but I could not imagine that it could be so heavy," Alcaraz said. "My first time in this situation was not easy for me, it hurt me a lot not to know how to deal with that pressure but like everything in life, we fall but we get up and move on, the most important thing is to learn from these situations and I am sure that I will come back stronger and with lessons learned."
The talented Spanish teenager may not have to wait long for a shot at redemption. Alcaraz could face Gaston again next week at the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan.
Photo credit: Erste Bank Open Facebook