Nadal Triumphs, Dominates Ranks Once Again!
Photo by Andy Cheung/Getty Images Carlos Alcaraz was expected to make the most of Jannik Sinner’s absence from last year’s Miami Open, but he ended up losing his only match. Alcaraz had already enjoyed plenty of success at the event, having won the 2022 tournament, which was also his first Masters 1000 title. Sinner, who is now a three-time Grand Slam winner, wasn’t part of the field as he was serving a three-month suspension.
Alcaraz entered as one of the favourites in Sinner’s absence but fell in straight sets to Alexandre Muller in just his first match. David Goffin knocked Carlos Alcaraz out of the Miami Open in 2023 Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images Alcaraz entered last year’s Miami Open as the second seed, giving him a direct path to the second round. There, he faced David Goffin, who had rallied from a set down to defeat Aleksandar Vukic in his opening match.
Though their head-to-head was even at one win each before this meeting, Alcaraz came in as the clear favourite. But Goffin surprised everyone with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 victory. The loss sparked plenty of questions about Alcaraz’s form.
He called it a ‘very poor performance’ and admitted he was struggling mentally. “It was a very poor performance on my part, I admit it; he was a better player than me,” Alcaraz said afterwards. “I didn’t play well, and I didn’t feel good physically either.
“In these kinds of matches, when you don’t feel that confidence either in terms of tennis skills or physically, everything becomes much harder. ” How has David Goffin fared since the Miami Open last year? Since that victory over Alcaraz, Goffin’s results on the main tour have been disappointing, picking up just six wins against 14 losses.