“Felt like a different sport,” Carlos Alcaraz makes a damning analysis of his Cincinnati loss to Gael Monfils

Carlos Alcaraz had his earliest exit to a tournament in 2024, with his only Masters 1000 title this season at Indian Wells.

“Felt like a different sport,” Carlos Alcaraz makes a damning analysis of his Cincinnati loss to Gael Monfils

Carlos Alcaraz and Gael Monfils (via NY Times)

Carlos Alcaraz had his earliest exit from any tournament in 2024 after losing to Gael Monfils 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 in the Cincinnati Round of 32. The Spaniard was playing his first match since losing the Olympic gold medal match to Novak Djokovic.

The extended schedule of playing Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the Paris Olympics back to back seemed to have taken its toll on Alcaraz, who lacked rhythm. Moreover, the schedule of playing the match over two days didn’t help either.

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I think it was the worst match that I have ever played. It felt like a different sport.
Carlos Alcaraz said after his defeat

As surprising as it is, Alcaraz has won more Grand Slam titles than Masters 1000 titles in 2024. The Spaniard’s only Masters 1000 title came at Indian Wells earlier in March, where he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final. However, Alcaraz hasn’t made another final in the remaining six Masters 1000 tournaments. Moreover, he missed two clay court ATP Masters 1000 titles this year due to an elbow injury.

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Carlos Alcaraz

Gael Monfils secures first top 3 win of the season by beating Carlos Alcaraz

Gael Monfils claimed his biggest victory in over two years at the Cincinnati Open, defeating World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. This marked the Frenchman’s ninth career win against a Top 3 player. The match was halted on Thursday due to rain, with Alcaraz ahead 6-4, 6-6(1/3). When play resumed, Monfils kept his cool and secured the second set on his third set point.

Gael Monfils
Gael Monfils (Via Imago)

In the windy final set, the 2008 Roland Garros semi-finalist stayed steady and took advantage of the momentum from the tiebreaker. The 37-year-old saved all four break points and earned his first Top 3 win since defeating then-World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev at Indian Wells in March 2022.

Alcaraz, playing his first hard-court match since March, struggled against Monfils. Though he has won major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics, the former World No.1 couldn’t find his rhythm. His frustration boiled over in the third set, where he smashed his racket after missing a chance to break Monfils’ serve.

Despite his efforts, Alcaraz couldn’t turn the match around. Monfils held strong, closing out the two-hour, 30-minute match. This win made the 37-year-old the second-oldest player this century to beat a Top 3 opponent, after Roger Federer, who at 38 defeated World No. 2 Novak Djokovic in 2019.

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