As Carlos Alcaraz unexpectedly lost to Gaël Monfils in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, his frustration boiled over, leading him to smash his racket multiple times against the court, bending the frame while the crowd watched in shock.
The incident occurred after Monfils secured a break in the third set, eventually winning 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 against the 21-year-old on Friday.
Alcaraz later apologized on Instagram for his outburst, saying, “I want to apologize for my attitude yesterday; it was not good, and that should not happen on court. I’m human, and sometimes the tension builds up, making it difficult to control. I’ll work on preventing it from happening again. Now it’s time to focus on NYC!”
In a post-match press conference, Alcaraz called it a brief loss of control during what he described as the “worst match” of his career. He admitted to feeling the urge to break his racket, something he had never done before, as he usually manages to stay composed in tense situations.
“But today, I couldn’t control myself,” he said, explaining that he felt completely out of sorts, unable to play his usual tennis. He acknowledged that many players experience moments where they lose control, and this was one of those moments for him.
For Monfils, this victory marked his first win against a top-three player since defeating Daniil Medvedev in March 2022 at Indian Wells, a feat he celebrated with a triumphant roar as the crowd cheered him on.
Despite Alcaraz initially appearing to be on course for a hard-fought win, especially when rain interrupted play on Thursday night with him leading 6-4, 6-6 (1-3) in the second set tiebreak, Monfils came back strong on Friday. He secured the second set and won the final set, saving all four break points he faced.
Reflecting on the match, Alcaraz said, “It was really tough for me. I feel like it was the worst match I ever played in my career. I was feeling great before the match, but once it started, everything felt off. I couldn’t control my serve, and winning this match became impossible.”
Monfils later returned to the court for his third-round match against Holger Rune, where he lost 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
