Carlos Alcaraz apologises for racquet smashing incident 

Carlos Alcaraz has expressed regret to the Cincinnati Open crowd for his angry outburst on Friday, August 16, during his match against Gael Monfils, during which he destroyed his racket. In a rare outburst, World No. 3 Alcaraz voiced his fury after losing to Monfils in the Cincinnati Open 2024 second round. The Spaniard, who won a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, was shockingly eliminated from the competition after dropping three sets, 6-4, 6-7, and 4-6.

After winning the first set, Alcaraz got off to a great start, but he could not keep up the pace, and Monfils came back to take the lead and the match. The second set was the turning point for Alcaraz, and when Monfils broke his serve in the tiebreak in the third set, he lost all patience. Alcaraz repeatedly destroyed his racquet in front of the Lindner Family Tennis Center audience in an apparent fit of rage. The teenage tennis player’s strong emotions were captured as the event swiftly went viral on social media.

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Alcaraz apologized, stating that his behavior on the court wasn’t appropriate and shouldn’t have happened. Although he acknowledged that his anxiety got the best of him that day, the Spaniard promised to make sure it wouldn’t happen again.

“I would want to express my regret for my behavior yesterday; it was inappropriate and shouldn’t have occurred in court. Because I’m human, I have collected nerves, and when there’s stress, it may be really difficult to handle. My goal is to prevent it from happening in the future. It’s time to consider NYC now,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz will now focus on the US Open, which gets underway on August 26.