LONDON: Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz said losing is “part of our lives” after his shock defeat to Britain’s Jack Draper in the round of 16 at the Queen’s Club tournament in London on Thursday.
Alcaraz, also the reigning Queen’s champion, lost 7-6 (7/3), 6-3 as the British No. 1 claimed the biggest victory of his career.
World No. 2 Alcaraz arrived for the Wimbledon grass-court warm-up fresh off his French Open triumph at Roland Garros.
However, the 21-year-old Spaniard was beaten by 22-year-old Draper, who is bidding to become the first British men’s singles champion at Queen’s Stadium since Andy Murray won his fifth title at the event in 2016.
Alcaraz, whose first loss on grass in almost two years, insisted he was “hungry to be better” at Wimbledon.
“Of course it’s hard to deal with losses, but I think it’s part of our lives,” he said.
“We have to (deal with it) as best we can. After your losses, you need to take away the positives and of course the negatives to improve for the next tournament.
“I have to give Jack credit. I think he played really good tennis today.
Alcaraz begins his defense of his Wimbledon title at the All England Club, just a few miles from Queen’s, just a few miles from London, on July 1, with the champion announcing he plans to remain in the British capital.
“I think the best way to get better on grass is to stay here, practice with the players, do good things physically on grass and move around, really specific things,” Alcaraz said when asked if he would return to Spain before Wimbledon.
“In Spain and at home, we don’t have grass courts or grass areas where you can just practice.
Alcaraz added: “Right now I’m hungry to get better, practice and that’s all I need to do.
“I’m really excited about Wimbledon. Of course, I really want to win every title I play for, and I think Wimbledon is even more special.
For the 31st-ranked Draper, the stunning victory followed his maiden ATP title in Stuttgart last week and meant he became the first Briton to beat a top-two seed on grass since Murray beat Novak Djokovic in the 2013 Wimbledon final.
Neither Alcaraz nor Draper could break the first set, with the British left-hander eventually taking the lead in the tie-break.
Alcaraz saved three match points on his own serve to trail 5-2 in the second set before Draper, a day after the 37-year-old Murray limped off with a Queen’s injury after just five games, secured the win.
“It was a really tough game,” Draper said. “Carlos is the defending champion, he won Wimbledon, he has an incredible talent and he is amazing at the sport. I had to go out and play well and luckily I did.
Draper will next face fifth seeded American Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals, who won 6-3, 6-4 against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo.
British success was even greater when Draper was joined in the final eight rounds by wildcard Billy Harris.
The 29-year-old journeyman celebrated receiving a wild card to Wimbledon – and a guaranteed £60,000 ($76,000) – by beating French qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 6-4, 7-5.
Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti also reached the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Brandon Nakashima of the USA.