Carlos Alcaraz immediately focused on the Paris Masters playing surface, blaming the weather for his loss to Ugo Humbert.
On Halloween, the French No. 1 put on a display for the Bercy fans, dominating the first set 6-1 and then splitting the next two as Humbert won the final 7-5.
However, when his poor performance in the season’s last Masters 1000 persisted, the defending French Open and Wimbledon champion became the most recent player to criticize the fast court.
Alcaraz, who once missed two years of the tournament without winning, bemoaned what he called the “fastest court on tour” and expressed confusion about the Paris Masters organizers’ choice.
Alcaraz voiced his displeasure: “This court. I mean, I don’t want to say something that will come off as a justification. First of all, Ugo deserves to win. However, it depends. For instance, the indoor Davis Cup court, where I play, was far slower than this one.
According to the statistics I saw when I played the first match, it is the quickest court in the Masters 1000 and is most likely the fastest court on the tour at the moment. This is absurd. I’m not sure. Most likely the fastest in this tournament’s 10 years.
Therefore, I’m not sure why they do it. I’m not sure why, but compared to previous years, they’ve changed a lot, including a court from other events and obviously in the same tournament.
It took me a little by surprise, so I arrived here in a short amount of time. I probably should have arrived sooner to acclimate to these conditions, but I didn’t. All I can say, though, is that I don’t understand why they did it.
However, Humbert has taken advantage of the circumstances to advance to the Paris Masters quarterfinals for just the second time in his career, where he will play Australian sensation Jordan Thompson.
Alcaraz was also full of admiration for his opponent’s ability to adjust to the conditions and use Bercy’s electric home support. The Spanish player said, “Well, not really,” in response to the question of whether Humbert’s level surprised him. I mean, playing in these conditions is challenging.
“I try to adapt as much as I can to this court and this speed for myself and my level. It doesn’t work well with my game, even though I assumed it would.
“When I play against someone like Ugo, he probably plays flat every time at his best and doesn’t let you, you know, get rhythm into the match.” I was therefore unable to play tennis well.
“I practice at home, but it’s not the same, you know. I am somewhat astonished by everything, but I am not surprised by my skill level or game.
