Last year’s runner-up was brutally honest after losing his opening match in Cincinnati. Explaining the defeat, he said: “Well honestly, [it] was really, really tough for me. I felt like it was the worst match that I have ever played in my career. [I] couldn’t play, honestly.”

Alcaraz had a quick turnaround between winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and heading State-side for the Cincinnati Open but he said he had been feeling good in pre-tournament practice sessions, though the conditions on Centre Court completely threw him. He continued: “Probably I felt like it was another sport playing on the Centre Court than the other courts.