Carlos Alcaraz apologizes for racket smash at Cincinnati

Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday apologized for the more unfortunate part of his rough day last Friday.

After France's Gael Monfils pulled off a major upset by defeating Alcaraz 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a weather-interrupted match at the Cincinnati Open on Friday, Alcaraz responded by smashing his racket on the court repeatedly.

It was a rare outburst for the decorated 21-year-old, who had previously been undefeated against Monfils in two matches.

The four-time Grand Slam winner offered an apology for the display of frustration Saturday in Spanish on X (formerly Twitter).

"I apologize because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track," Alcaraz said. "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!"

If was the first top-three win for the 37-year-old Monfils since defeating then-No. 1 Daniil Medvedev in March 2022. In doing so, he became the second-oldest player to defeat a top-three opponent this century (Roger Federer, 38, vs. No. 2 Novak Djokovic in 2019).

Rain had suspended the second-round match Thursday night with the Spaniard ahead 6-4, 6-6 (1-3).

"I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career," Alcaraz said. "(I) couldn't play. Honestly, I've been practicing 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."

Monfils, ranked No. 46 in the world, defeated a top-three opponent for the ninth time in his career.

Alcaraz had lost only seven matches this year, winning the French Open and Wimbledon and earning a silver medal at the Paris Olympics earlier this month. He referenced in his tweet the U.S. Open, which begins in New York on Aug. 26.

--Field Level Media/Reuters