The World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz went out his frustration by smashing his racquet during his second-round defeat against Gael Monfils at the ongoing Cincinnati Open 2024 on Saturday, August 17.
Alcaraz, who clinched the silver medal at the Paris Olympics 2024, suffered a shocking exit from the Cincinnati Open with three sets defeat - 6-4, 6-7,4-6. After winning the opening set of the second, the Spaniard failed to capitalise on his momentum, enabling Gael Monfils to bounce back and take control of the match.
After losing the second set, Carlos Alcaraz was visibly frustrated with his performance. However, his frustration went unleashed after Gael Monfils broke his tie break in the third set of the second round. Alcaraz took out his vexation on his racquet by smashing it hardly multiple times in front of crowd presented at Lindner Family Tennis Center. The video of the same went viral on social media.
Following his maiden Olympic medal win with a silver at Paris Summer Games, Carlos Alcaraz decided to skip the Canadian Open last week and opted to play the Cincinnati Open as a warm-up for the US Open, which is scheduled to take place on August 26.
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However, Carlos Alcaraz had an unexpected exit from the ongoing Cincinnati Open with a shocking second round defeat against Gael Monfils. Alcaraz had been the favorite to win the title, given his incredible form and the absence of Novak Djokovic from the tournament. Apart from shocking defeat, what came more as a shock was his frustration and anger as he is often seen as a calm and composed personality.
Carlos Alcaraz apologizes for his attitude
After the shocking defeat at the hands of Gael Monfils, Carlos Alcaraz took to his X handle (formerly Twitter) and apologised for his attitude on the court, stating that he shouldn't have done it. He added that it is difficult to control himself when he has lot of nerves inside him to perform at his best.
"I apologize because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track. I am human, I had a lot of nerves inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is so high." Alcaraz wrote.
"I will work so that it does not happen again. Time to think about NYC!" he added.
Carlos Alcaraz will now return to action for the US Open, where he won his first Grand Slam title in 2022. The 21-year-old Spanish tennis star has had a great season as he clinched two Grand Slam titles at French Open and Wimbledon, a Masters 1000 title at Indiana Wells and silver medal in his maiden Olympic appearance in Paris.
