Carlos Alcaraz apologizes for racket-smashing incident at Cincinnati Masters

Carlos Alcaraz has apologized to fans for his outburst during the Cincinnati Open on Friday, August 16, after he smashed his racket in anger during his match against Gael Monfils. World number three Alcaraz expressed his frustration in a rare outburst during his second round loss to Monfils at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, who recently won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, unexpectedly exited the tournament in a three-set battle, losing 6-4, 6-7, 4-6.

Alcaraz started strong and won the first set, but was unable to maintain his momentum, allowing Monfils to mount a comeback and take control of the match. The turning point came after Alcaraz lost the second set, and his frustration boiled over in the third set when Monfils broke his serve in the tiebreak. In a moment of visible anger, Alcaraz smashed his racket several times in front of the crowd at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. The incident quickly went viral on social media, capturing the young tennis star's intense emotions.

Alcaraz has now written an apology for his actions on his official Instagram account.

It was not good

In his apology, Alcaraz said that his behaviour was not good and should not have happened on the pitch. The Spaniard admitted that his nerves did not help him that day and that he will make sure that this does not happen again in the future.

“I want to apologize for my attitude yesterday, it was not good and something like that should not happen on the pitch. I'm only human, the nerves have built up and sometimes it's very difficult to control that tension. I will work to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Now it's time to think about NYC!” said Alcaraz.

Alcaraz will now turn his attention to the US Open, which begins on August 26.