Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz apologises for smashing racket during surprise defeat

Carlos Alcaraz has apologized for his behavior during his loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open on Friday afternoon.

During the match, Alcaraz got frustrated and smashed his racquet on the court multiple times, which is unusual for him. The four-time Grand Slam champion lost to Gaël Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.

On Saturday, Alcaraz posted on social media in Spanish, admitting that his actions on the court were wrong and unacceptable. The 21-year-old explained that it’s hard to stay calm when your heart is racing, and he promised to work on controlling himself better in the future.

The match had been interrupted by rain on Thursday night, with the players in the middle of a second-set tiebreaker. When play resumed on Friday, the 37-year-old Monfils won the last two sets, while Alcaraz, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, called it his “worst match.”

Alcaraz said, “I felt like it was the worst match I’ve ever played in my career. I had been practicing well and feeling great, but I just couldn’t play. I want to forget it and focus on New York.”

When the match restarted on Friday, Alcaraz hoped for a fresh start but couldn’t control his emotions. He said, “This has never happened before because I’ve always been able to control my feelings. But today, I couldn’t. I felt like I wasn’t playing any tennis, and it was really frustrating for me. At some point, I didn’t even want to be on the court anymore.”

This was Alcaraz’s first match since winning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, where he lost to Novak Djokovic, who also beat him in last year’s Cincinnati final.