Carlos Alcaraz after Cameron Norrie defeat: 'I don't know what happened here’

Match Reaction

Alcaraz after Norrie defeat: 'I don't know what happened here’

Spaniard could lose World No. 1 if Sinner wins title in Paris

Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

Carlos Alcaraz defeated by Cameron Norrie in three sets on Tuesday in Paris. By ATP Staff

Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Paris with clarity, confidence, and momentum. At the end of a season in which he has won eight titles and returned to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, he looked destined to dominate.

Instead, the French ATP Masters 1000 event proved once again to be his enigma. British lefty Cameron Norrie defeated Alcaraz 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday night — a result that seemed to baffle the Spaniard as much as anyone.

“I came here really well. I came here with a lot of energy. I came here thinking that I could do good results because I have been playing really good tennis,” said Alcaraz, who is now 5-5 in Paris, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. “This is the best year for me in terms of playing at the end of the year. So I've been talking with some other players, with my team, that I feel great.

Other years I felt exhausted, I felt tired, I felt mentally, physically. But this year I feel good. I skipped Shanghai. I have been at home [for some] days so I could enjoy myself there and relax, help the battery, so I don't know what happened here. It is a tournament that is really difficult for me to play well, but I will figure it out, and I will end up playing great tennis here, for sure.”

The match was a rare moment when Alcaraz was lost for solutions. This season, he has usually found a way of bending matches in his favour, but on the slick indoor courts in the French capital, something never quite clicks.

With less than two weeks to go until the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz faces a quick turnaround to prepare in his quest for a first title at the year-end championships.

“I will try to prepare myself as best as I can, coming to Turin, coming to Davis Cup, really important tournaments that I have ahead right now,” said Alcaraz. “Right now I just want to be back home, and let's see what I'm going to do. But of course I'm going to practise and prepare myself, and obviously I will try not to let this happen again.”

The defeat means that Alcaraz’s fierce rival, Jannik Sinner, could reclaim the World No. 1 ranking if he wins his maiden title in Paris.

Norrie claimed he would ‘take it to him’ when he stepped on court with Alcaraz, and despite dropping the first set, he did just that. The Briton overwhelmed use his his heavy topspin forehand to great effect, deploying variation and grit to play Alcaraz at his own game.

It marked Norrie’s first win over a World No. 1 and the Briton is now 3-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz. Although the Spaniard gave credit to his opponent, he was left searching for answers on his subpar performance.

“I had a lot of practices here, I was feeling great, feeling amazing, moving on the court, hitting the ball,” added Alcaraz. “I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear. But today, even in the first set — that I won — I just felt like I could do much more than what I did.

“I tried in the second set just to be better, but it was totally the opposite. I just felt even worse. I think I have to give credit to Cam, because I think he didn't let me stay or come back into the match.”

If 2025 has taught us anything about Alcaraz, however, it’s that setbacks rarely linger. His Paris puzzle remains unsolved, but his season remains unmistakably upward. Turin awaits, and with it, another chance to add a new milestone to a career already rich with them.

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