Carlos Alcaraz says the pressure got to him in the Olympic Games final as he lost out on the gold medal to Novak Djokovic. (More Tennis News)
In a hard-fought battle, Djokovic claimed his first-ever gold medal with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) victory at Roland-Garros, avenging his Wimbledon final defeat to the Spaniard last month.
Alcaraz, playing in the Olympics for the first time, was chasing the top prize to add to this year's trophy haul, having already won the French Open and Wimbledon.
The 21-year-old was the second-youngest men's singles finalist at the Olympics in tennis history, after Robert LeRoy in St. Louis in 1904, but missed the chance to become the youngest-ever champion in the competition.
And Alcaraz admitted the pressure of playing for his country weighed on him, causing him to falter at key moments.
"It was a different type of pressure," Alcaraz said. "Everyone in Spain wanted me to win the gold, and I wanted to win the gold as well.
"In those difficult moments I usually raise my level, but I wasn't able to do that today. Probably, I felt the pressure in those situations. You play four grand slams every year, the Olympics is only once every four years.
"Obviously, this week, this tournament has been really special for me. I'm going to take it for the rest of my life, for the rest of my career, for sure. Playing with Rafa [Nadal in the men's doubles], getting my first Olympics medal - hopefully not the last one - it's been a special one."
