Carlos Alcaraz apologized Saturday for smashing his racket during his loss to Gael Monfils in the Cincinnati Open’s Round of 32.
After dropping the fourth game of the third set Friday, and after being tied with Monfils at one set apiece, A🐲lcaraz slammed his r😼acket into the ground four times — causing it to twist and lose its original shape.
“I apologize because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track,” Alcaraz , according to a translated version. “I am human, I had a lot of nerves inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is so high. I will work so that it does not happen again. Time to think about NYC!”
Alcaraz, one of the top active tennis players in the world and previ🙈ously ranked ♎No. 1, told reporters after his 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 loss to Monfils that Friday felt like “the worst match that I’ve ever played.”
He earned a bye through the Roไund of 64 and into the Round of 32, but Alcaraz, who has already won four Grand Slam titles entering the U.S. Open that starts Aug. 26, couldn’t advance further than that.
“I’ve been practicing real🌊ly well,” Alcaraz told reporters after his loss. “I was fee🌜ling great. But I couldn’t play. I want to forget it and try to move on to New York.”
It has, for ꩵthe most part, beenܫ a successful calendar year for Alcaraz.
After losing to Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open quarterfinals, he defeated Zverev in five sets to take the French Open title and fo𝔍llowed tha🔯t up with a victory over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon.
He also advanced to the gold medal match in the 2024 Olympics, but Djokovic topped Alcaraz in straight sets&nb🐬sp;— forcing the 21-year-old from Spain to sett🌊le for a silver medal.
While the draw for the U.S. Open hasn’t been revealed yet, Alcaraz will again enterܫ the tournament as one of the top seeds.
Last year, he lost just one set across the first five rounds before falling to Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals.