Carlos Alcaraz has received praise for his excellent sportsmanship following his unexpected elimination in the first round of the Paris Masters.
The two-time Grand Slam champion was beaten 6-3 6-4 by world No. 45 Roman Safiullin on Tuesday.
The result was a fresh blow to Alcaraz’s hopes of surpassing world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings.
Alcaraz was quick to congratulate the Russian just hours after the shock result.
Safiullin is fast emerging as a contender on the ATP Tour having reached the last eight of Wimbledon earlier this year.
“Congratulations on the victory, Roman Safiullin,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“I’m saying goodbye to Paris much sooner than I wanted. Now it is time to prepare my game for the ATP Finals in Turin!”
One fan replied: “Good sportsmanship.” Another said: “It’s a pleasure to see such good sportsmanship. Looking forward to seeing you in Turin!”
Alcaraz was playing for the first time since he loss to Grigor Dimitrov in Shanghai.
The 20-year-old was forced to pull out of last week’s event in Basel with foot and back injuries.
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The Wimbledon champion admitted there was much to work on ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin, which begin on Sunday 12 November.
“I just didn’t feel well on the court,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“A lot of things to improve, a lot of things to practise.
“I didn’t move well. In the shots, I think I had a good quality of shots. But physically in terms of movement, I have to improve a lot.”
Meanwhile Safiullin is up to No. 39 in the world rankings with the victory, setting himself up to break into the top 40 for the first time in his career.
The 26-year-old said after beating Alcaraz: “Against Carlos and these top 10, top 20 guys, you have to lift up the level. I managed to do it.
“For Carlos, it was not his best performance, but still I’m happy that I can win. Even if he’s not in the best shape it’s tough to beat him, so I’m really happy that I made it.
“Everything against these guys [is important]. Tactical, physical, the mental part. [It’s key] to stay focused from the beginning to the end. Who can make it longer is going to be the winner.”
