A blunt Carlos Alcaraz said he played at “a poor level” in his surprise Miami Open second-round defeat by David Goffin.
Four-time major champion Alcaraz struggled for consistency in a 5-7 6-4 6-3 loss to Belgium’s world number 55 Goffin.
Spain’s Alcaraz had won the Miami Open title in 2022 and reached the semi-finals at Indian Wells last week.
“I thought I was going to play really good tennis but it didn’t happen,” Alcaraz, 21, said.
“I didn’t feel well in my legs – I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t sick. I was feeling perfectly before the match.
“In general, it was a poor level from me.”
By contrast, Novak Djokovic snapped his three-match losing streak with a 6-0 7-6 (7-1) victory over Australia’s Rinky Hijikata.
Alcaraz committed 42 unforced errors against Goffin, who is the first player outside the top-30 to beat the world number three.
“It’s that kind of night that I will remember for sure – against Carlos and in a stadium like that,” Goffin said.
Djokovic ‘knew exactly what I wanted to do’
Fourth seed Djokovic raced through the first set without dropping a game and although he was made to work harder in the second, still won in a little over an hour and 20 minutes.
The Serb, who received a bye in round one, will face world number 69 Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina in the next round.
Build-up to the tournament has been dominated by news that the Professional Tennis Players’ Association (PTPA), co-founded by Djokovic, has begun legal action against tennis’ governing bodies.
However, in his first match in Miami since 2019, the 37-year-old showed no signs of being distracted as Hijikata was swiftly swatted aside.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion broke in the second game of the match and never looked back, winning the first set to love in 28 minutes.
It was more of a contest in the second, but Djokovic dominated in the tie-break to move a step closer to a seventh Miami Open title.
“I was playing really well, I mean on a very high level from the beginning, I knew exactly what I wanted to do tactically,” he said.
“Obviously it’s just the first match but the way I felt on the court and the way I played is really encouraging.”
Medvedev out but Ruud and Dimitrov advance
Elsewhere, seventh seed and former champion Daniil Medvedev was stunned 6-2 6-3 by Spain’s Jaume Munar.
The Russian made 32 unforced errors as he was brushed aside by world number 56 Munar.
Casper Ruud also had a scare, but the Norwegian came from a set down to claim a 3-6 6-4 6-4 victory over Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.
Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov saw off Federico Cina of Italy 6-1 6-4 but, having claimed his first win since 2022 earlier this week, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios lost 7-6 (7-3) 6-0 to Karen Khachanov.