“It shouldn’t happen on the court,” Carlos Alcaraz apologizes for smashing his racquet in match against Gael Monfils
Carlos Alcaraz had a day to forget as he faced an early exit at the hands of veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils.
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Carlos Alcaraz smashing his racket (Via Tennis 365)
Carlos Alcaraz has apologized for breaking his racquet during his second-round match against French Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard was frustrated with his performance on Friday (August 16) after slipping to a shocking early defeat at the Masters 1000 event.
The 21-year-old was the favorite to win the Cincinnati Open, having finished as runners-up last year, losing to Novak Djokovic. He had won two consecutive Grand Slams, at the French Open and Wimbledon, and went on to win the silver medal in the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics. However, at Cincinnati, the Spaniard failed to perform as he had done in the past two months.
Alcaraz enjoyed the better start of the match and initially seemed to be heading for a straight-set victory when rain stopped the match on Thursday night (August 15) while leading 6-4, 6-6, (1-3). In the restart, the following day, he showed signs of rust, failing to manage his game. 37-year-old Monfils used Alcaraz’s weakness to his advantage, claiming a 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 win.
In the third set of the match, Alcaraz was seen smashing his racket in anger after failing to hit a ball. The Spaniard apologized during his post-match conference, admitting that it should not have happened in court.
I want to apologize for my attitude yesterday, it was not good and that should not happen on court. 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! .Carlos Alcaraz said via Cincinnati Press
On the other hand, Monfils’ victory over Alcaraz was his first Top 3 win since he beat Daniil Medvedev in the 2022 Indian Wells Masters. The Frenchman celebrated the achievement with a roar.
Carlos Alcaraz admitted he couldn’t control his feelings during his second-round loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open
Despite apologizing for smashing his racket, Carlos Alcaraz also admitted that he wanted to break the racket because of his poor performance against Gael Monfils. The French Open champion was far from his best as he struggled with his game.
The last time the Spaniard exited after his opening match was at the Rio Open in February, but that was a result of an ankle injury, which forced him to retire. He revealed that he couldn’t control himself on the court and even manage the situation.
I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket. It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings. 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 tennisCarlos Alcaraz said to the reporters
Alcaraz will hope to bounce back in the US Open which gets underway on August 26. His confidence level might be low following the defeat, but he knows how to rise to the occasion when needed.
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Victor Okechukwu
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