Russian No. 3 Karen Khachanov shared his thoughts following his defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the fourth round of the Rome Masters, where the score was 3/6, 6/3, 5/7.
“I have no regrets or disappointment,” Khachanov stated. “It`s much more frustrating when you feel you played the match at a low level, made many mistakes yourself, were mentally weak, or lost to a weaker, lower-ranked opponent. So, playing against Carlos was a source of joy due to the quality of the match and the feeling that I gave my absolute best. I also have a clear understanding of what needs improvement and how to win such matches.”
When a fan on a stream posed the question, “If Alcaraz in this match was like `Real Madrid`, which club was Khachanov today?”, he responded with amusement.
“Interesting,” he replied. “I`m a Real Madrid fan myself, by the way, though not a crazy fanatic. But if Carlos was Real, then today I was like Manchester City.”
Asked about FC Krasnodar`s strong current season and if he supports them in the title race, given his communication with players like Smolov and Spertsyan, he confirmed his support.
“Yes, of course,” Khachanov said. “There are only two games left. I often message Fedya [Smolov], and I also talk to Edik [Spertsyan] and we support each other.”
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