Carlos Alcaraz has opened up on the feeling of letting down his country after representing Spain.

Carlos Alcaraz said he felt like he had let down his country Spain (Image: YouTube/MoluscoTV/Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz believed he let his country down after missing out on a gold medal with Spain at the 2024 Olympics. The 21-year-old competed in the singles and doubles tournaments at the Paris Games but lost in the gold medal match to Novak Djokovic. The pair played out a close contest where Djokovic prevailed 7-6, 7-6 at Roland Garros and Alcaraz became overwhelmed with emotion, breaking down in tears in a post-match interview with ex-tennis player Alex Corretja. Seven months down the line, the Murcia native revealed his main objective for the year was to claim a gold medal and the pain of losing was too much to bear.

“The truth is that it was a difficult moment because my objective from the beginning of the year was to win the gold medal,” Alcaraz said in an interview with YouTube channel MoluscoTV. “And that week I felt the need to do it. In the end that feeling can be wrong – to feel the need to do something – so in that moment when I didn’t do it, obviously after a defeat, 10-15 minutes after an objective you haven’t been able to complete, it’s difficult to put everything in perspective.

“And in that moment I felt that I had let my country down, that I had let the Spanish people down, for not winning the gold medal that everyone was expecting. That’s why I reacted like that, letting my feelings go, and obviously speaking to the cameras, expressing myself in that moment, and showing to my country and to the world how I felt, I think it was necessary.”

Alcaraz has already won four Grand Slam titles in his promising career – winning twice at the French Open and Wimbledon. The Spaniard also spent 36 weeks as world No.1 after becoming the youngest player to achieve the feat at the age of 19 in September 2022.

Carlos Alcaraz lost in the gold medal match of the Olympics 2024 (Image: Getty)

Still, he faces a long road ahead to catch up the Big Three of tennis – Djokovic, Roger Federer and his idol Rafael Nadal – who collected a combined 66 Grand Slam titles between them.

Alcaraz has conceded that it would be “practically impossible” to replicate or even emulate their achievements and the youngster doesn’t believe their iconic rivalry will be repeated.

“They have set the bar for tennis and what can be done at an astronomical level,” he added. “There are many players capable of winning Grand Slams, of beating the best. Young players, including myself, who can really be fighting for great things.

“But getting to the point of that rivalry between Rafa, Federer and Djokovic, the truth is that it will be practically impossible to repeat that.

“We will have our battles; I will have my battles with great players, but a rivalry like theirs will be practically impossible.”