Carlos Alcaraz smashes racket multiple times in frustration against Gael Monfils at Cincinnati Open; video goes viral

Carlos Alcaraz almost smashed his racket in the Olympic Gold medal match, but refrained from it at that time.

Carlos Alcaraz smashes racket multiple times in frustration against Gael Monfils at Cincinnati Open; video goes viral

Carlos Alcaraz took his anger out on the racket (via IMAGO/X)

Carlos Alcaraz smashed his tennis racket after going down 3-1 in the deciding set against Gael Monfils. The Spaniard was playing in his first match since losing the Olympic Gold Medal match to Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz has struggled with his temper, particularly in matches where he is trailing. The 21-year-old nearly smashed his racket in the Gold Medal match against Novak Djokovic earlier this month, but his emotions got the better of him here.

The match has spanned two days due to weather conditions. Alcaraz won the first set 6-4 but was down 3-1 in the tiebreak when rain interrupted play.

FS Video
Carlos Alcaraz took his anger out (via X/Tennis TV)

The rain delay seemed to favor Gael Monfils, who went on to win the tiebreak and led Alcaraz in the third set. The Spaniard was on the ropes against Monfils and needed a desperate comeback to stay in the match. However, it was to no avail as he lost the third set 6-4 to the Frenchman, eventually crashing out of the tournament.

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Carlos Alcaraz’s lead-up to the US Open

Carlos Alcaraz hopes to put the Olympic defeat behind him and begin his bid for a second US Open title later this month. The Spaniard won the first of his four Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2022.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz celebrating ( Via US Open)

However, Alcaraz was unable to defend his title last year, losing to Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals. He withdrew from the National Bank Open due to a scheduling conflict with the Paris Olympics.

Now, he was back at the Cincinnati Open and aims to return to winning form ahead of the US Open. Last year, he lost the Cincinnati Open final to Novak Djokovic in three tight sets. However, this year, his loss came much earlier than expected.

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