Spanish tennis star, Carlos Alcaraz, on Saturday, issued an apology after a dramatic outburst during his shocking second-round defeat to Gaël Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.
Alcaraz, visibly frustrated, smashed his racket against the court multiple times, bending the frame and leaving the crowd stunned.
This moment of frustration occurred on Friday as Monfils secured a break in the third set and ultimately completed a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 victory over the 21-year-old Spaniard.
In an Instagram post the following day, Alcaraz expressed regret for his actions.
“I want to apologize for my attitude yesterday; it was not good and that should not happen on court,” he wrote. “I’m human, the nerves had accumulated, and sometimes it’s very tough to control when there is that tension. I will work so that it doesn’t happen again. Now it’s time to think about NYC!”
During his post-match press conference, Alcaraz reflected on the incident, calling it a “momentary loss of control” during what he described as “the worst match that I ever played in my career.”
He elaborated, “I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket. It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations. Most of the time I could control myself and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I’ve been feeling before. Today, I couldn’t control myself, because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. I think some players, a lot of players, during their careers and during certain moments, can’t control themselves. And it was one of the moments for me.”
For Monfils, the victory marked his first win against a top-three player since March 2022, when he defeated Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells.
Monfils celebrated his triumph with a roar, soaking in the crowd’s applause as he savoured his biggest win in over two years.
Alcaraz had initially started strong, looking poised for victory when rain interrupted play on Thursday night, with him leading 6-4, 6-6 (1-3) in the second set tiebreak.
However, Monfils seized the opportunity when play resumed on Friday, taking the second set and eventually clinching the match, saving all four break points he faced in the final set.
“It was really tough for me. I feel like it was the worst match I ever played in my career,” Alcaraz said afterward. “I was feeling great … I warmed up before the match but it was a totally different feeling, I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t control my serve … so this match was impossible to win.”
Later that same day, Monfils returned to the court for his third-round match against Holger Rune, where he was defeated 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
