Cincinnati Open: Carlos Alcaraz apologises for smashing racket during surprise defeat

Alcaraz acknowledged that his attitude was not appropriate and that his actions were unacceptable on the court. - ReutersCarlos Alcaraz has apologised for his behaviour during Friday afternoon’s loss to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.Alcaraz repeatedly smashed his racquet on the court in a rare display of frustration on Friday, as the four-time Grand Slam champion was defeated by Gaël Monfils 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 at the Cincinnati Open. Posting in Spanish on X on Saturday, Alcaraz acknowledged that his attitude was not appropriate and that his actions were unacceptable on the court. The 21-year-old added that it's difficult to control oneself when the heart rate is elevated, and he will work to ensure it doesn’t happen again.In a match that was suspended by rain on Thursday night with the players in a second-set tiebreaker, the 37-year-old Monfils advanced by taking the last two sets from the second-seeded Alcaraz, who called the loss his “worst match”.“I felt like it was the worst match that I’ve ever played in my career,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve been practicing really well. I was feeling great. But I couldn’t play. I want to forget it and try to move on to New York.”Trailing 3-1 in the tiebreaker when the match was halted, Alcaraz was hoping for a reset when play resumed Friday. However, the No. 3 player in the ATP rankings couldn’t control his emotions.“It never happened before, because I could control those feelings,” Alcaraz said. “Today I couldn’t. I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. It was really frustrating for me.“At some point, I didn’t want to be on the court any more.”Alcaraz was playing his first match since earning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics after losing to Novak Djokovic, who also beat him last year in the Cincinnati final. Comments Submit مضمون کا ماخذ: اسکریچ کارڈز خریدیں