Carlos Alcaraz crashed out of his Indian Wells three-peat bid on Saturday, and nerves played a key role in "one of the worst sets I have played in my career."
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Alcaraz said he was too focused on what weapons British left-hander Jack Draper might bring and unable to calm the pre-match jitters that prevented him from rising to the occasion.
Draper, ranked 14th in the world, beat Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 to end the Spaniard's dream of joining Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight titles in the California desert.
"Obviously I wanted to win the third in a row, but I can't pretend to win every match," Alcaraz said. "I am not as upset about not getting the third one in a row. I am upset about myself, about the way that I approached the match, the way that I felt during the whole day, that I couldn't calm down myself.
"That's, for me, the most disappointed thing that I'm feeling right now, because (it) is probably one of the worst sets that I have played in my whole career, the first set."
In a place he described this week as "peaceful," Alcaraz said he was on edge all day and warmed up poorly before the match.
"I always say that I have to be focused on myself, on my own game. I think today I was more worried about his level, his game, than myself," he said.
The result was an erratic effort from Alcaraz, who had sailed through his first three matches with the loss of just 10 games before pulling off a tighter quarterfinal victory over Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets.
The 21-year-old said he was still working to find ways to maintain his highest level more consistently.
"I think I'm improving. I'm getting more mature," he said. "I still sometimes (am) playing such a really high level, and then my level goes down a lot.
"So I have to think about it. I have to keep working, keep going," added Alcaraz, who insisted he would shake off the defeat and be ready for the Miami Open this coming week.
"I consider myself a person who learns from the fails, from the losses," he said. "The last time that I lost here was the semifinal (in 2022), and after all, I won Miami, so I think I will go for it.
"I will make the most of myself in Miami."