Carlos Alcaraz smashed his racket during a match against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.
The young Spaniard came to Cincinnati with high hopes. He had a great run last year, reaching the final but losing to Djokovic. This year, he aimed to go all the way.
His drive was also fueled by his recent performance at the Olympics, where he finished second behind Djokovic. Alcaraz believed he could win gold, making his silver medal a big letdown for him.
Despite his motivation, things didn’t go as planned in Cincinnati. Facing Monfils in his first match seemed manageable since he’d beaten him before. But this time was different.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇸 Carlos Alcaraz | 21 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
Unexpected Struggles:
Alcaraz won the first set but struggled in the second, which went to a tie-breaker interrupted by rain . When play resumed 18 hours later, Alcaraz’s form worsened; he lost the tie-break and got broken early in the third set.
Down 1-3 in the final set, Alcaraz smashed his racket—a rare sight for fans who know he’s usually calm on court. He admitted post-match that he’d never felt such frustration before and just wanted to leave the court.
“I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket,” said Alcaraz. “It never happened before because I could control myself in those situations.”
Fans might think it’s unusual to see him lose control like this.
“Today, it couldn’t,” he added. “I couldn’t control myself… I didn’t want to be on the court anymore.”
Even though breaking his racket released some tension, it didn’t improve his game; he lost in three sets and called it possibly “the worst match” of his career.
“Some players or a lot of players can’t control themselves during certain moments,” he explained. “It was one of those moments for me.”
After losing at both the Olympics and now Cincinnati so close to US Open time, this wasn’t what Alcaraz needed. He apologized on social media for smashing his racket and promised better emotional control next time.
He’s already shifting focus towards preparing for the US Open—probably a wise move after such a tough loss here.
What do you think about Alcaraz’s reaction?
