by Carlos Alcaraz apologized to X for his actions during a second-round loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open on Friday in which he smashed his racket multiple times early in the third set.
“I apologize because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not happen on the track,” Alcaraz wrote on X. “I am human, I was very nervous inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when the heart rate is so high. I will work so that this does not happen again. It is time to think about New York!”
I lost because my action was not correct and that is something that should not be done inside a track. Being human, the accumulation of nerves within your blood is very complicated to control when it is with high pulsations. Trabajaré so that we see… pic.twitter.com/YR0dRJhTxX
– Carlos Alcaraz (@carlosalcaraz) August 17, 2024
Alcaraz, 21, who was playing in his first tournament since winning silver at the Paris Olympics, was left frustrated in his 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 defeat to Monfils. The four-time Grand Slam winner could not hold back his emotions any longer and took it out on his racket.
“This had never happened to me before because I could control those feelings,” Alcaraz said. “Today I couldn’t. I felt like I wasn’t playing tennis. It was really frustrating for me. At one point I didn’t want to be on the court anymore.”
Alcaraz later said it was the “worst match I’ve ever played in my career” and that he was turning the page and looking ahead to the US Open, which begins on August 26.
“I trained well,” Alcaraz said. “I felt good. But I couldn’t play. I want to forget about it and try to get to New York.”
