Carlos Alcaraz admits dip in form made him 'focus on what's important'

The Spaniard rediscovered his mojo after winning the Monte Carlo Masters event following a difficult few months that saw him go through a blip after claiming the Rotterdam Open title.

He followed the Netherlands event with a quarter-final exit at the Qatar Open before his title defence at Indian Wells came to an end in the semi-final.

His defeat to Jack Draper had a big impact on him, and things went from bad to worse as he was beaten in the second round of the Miami Open by David Goffin.

The 21-year-old opened up about the struggles that he faced, telling Spanish publication Marca: "It's a combination of everything. In Indian Wells, I thought I was playing well and was pretty calm off the court. The loss to Draper hurt me a lot. Then I got to Miami, and that loss to Goffin was the final straw.

"We had to stop, sit down, and see what was happening. That moment has helped me a lot. It's from bad times that we learn the most. I've learned, above all, to focus on what's important.

"There are many things we give importance to that maybe aren't. I said what's truly important to me in tennis, and I'm going to continue along those lines."

Alcaraz, who returned to No 2 in the ATP Rankings with his Monte Carlo title, even considered a hiatus from game but in the end he decided to learn from the experience.

He added: "In the end, in these situations, you think about a lot of things, and when something that hurt you is so recent, you never really put it into perspective.

"A lot of thoughts come to mind: stop, stop for a week, skip a tournament, stop for several months, keep training, take a vacation, and then train for what's nextâ¦

"A lot of thoughts came to mind, and one of the best things I did was take a few days off and give myself the opportunity to think clearly and put things into perspective, and then decide from there."

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