Carlos Alcaraz has issued a public apology after failing to control his anger during his surprise defeat to Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open. The reigning Wimbledon champion was dumped out in the opening round with Monfils claiming an impressive 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-4 victory.
After failing to convert a break point in the decisive set, Alcaraz reacted furiously by repeatedly smashing his racket on the ground. It was a rare meltdown from the 21-year-old, who is usually a calm figure on the court but was unable to control his fury on this occasion.
He took to Instagram the following day to issue an apology for his behaviour, admitting that he found it hard to manage his nerves at such a crucial point in the match.
“I want to apologise for my attitude yesterday, it was not good and that should not happen on court,” wrote Alcaraz. “I’m human, the nerves had accumulated and sometimes it is very tough to control when there is that tension. I will work so that it doesn’t happen again.”
Speaking after the match, Alcaraz took responsibility for being unable to keep his emotions under control in the heat of the moment. It was certainly not what people are used to seeing from the Spaniard, who will need to dust himself down ahead of the US Open later this month.
“I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket,” he admitted. “It never happened before because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings. Most of the time I could control myself and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I’ve been feeling before.
“Today I couldn’t control myself because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. I think some players, a lot of players, during their careers and during certain moments, they can’t control themselves and it was one of the moments for me.”
Alcaraz went on to issue a damning review of his own performance against Monfils, saying: “I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career. [I] couldn’t play. Honestly, I’ve been practising really well here in this tournament. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well.
“I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how I felt like this, but I couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t be better. So this match, it was impossible to win.”
