麻豆传媒

Skip to main content

Carlos Alcaraz apologizes for smashing and breaking racket in 'worst match' of his career

Carlos Alcaraz smashed his racket during the match. (Susan Mullane/USA Today Sports/Reuters via CNN Newsource) Carlos Alcaraz smashed his racket during the match. (Susan Mullane/USA Today Sports/Reuters via CNN Newsource)
Share

As Carlos Alcaraz slipped to a shock defeat against Ga毛l Monfils in the second round of the Cincinnati Open, he became so frustrated that he smashed his racket against the court several times, bending the frame out of shape while the crowd looked on stunned.

The moment came as Monfils consolidated a break in the third set shortly before he completed a 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 victory over the 21-year-old on Friday.

Alcaraz apologized for smashing his racket in an Instagram post Saturday.

鈥淚 want to apologize for my attitude yesterday, it was not good and that should not happen on court,鈥 the world No. 3 said.

鈥淚鈥檓 human, the nerves had accumulated and sometimes it鈥檚 very tough to control when there is that tension. I will work so that it doesn鈥檛 happen again. Now it鈥檚 time to think about NYC!鈥

In his press conference after the match, Alcaraz had described it as a momentary loss of control during the 鈥渨orst match that I ever played in my career.鈥

鈥淚 felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket,鈥 he told reporters. 鈥淚t 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鈥檝e been feeling before.

鈥淭oday, I couldn鈥檛 control myself, because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis 鈥 I think some players, a lot of players, during their careers and during some certain moments, they can鈥檛 control themselves. And it was one of the moments for me.鈥

For Monfils, it marked his first win against a top three player since he defeated Daniil Medvedev in March 2022 at Indian Wells, an achievement he celebrated with a roar as he soaked in the crowd鈥檚 applause afterward.

But it was Alcaraz who had enjoyed the better start to the match, and who initially seemed to be headed to a hard-fought victory when rain stopped play on Thursday night in the middle of a second set tiebreak with the four-time grand slam winner leading 6-4 6-6 (1-3).

Monfils wrapped up the second set shortly after play resumed on Friday, however, and went on to win the decider, saving all four of the break points he faced.

鈥淚t was really tough for me, I feel like it was the worst match I ever played in my career,鈥 Alcaraz said afterwards. 鈥淚 was feeling great 鈥 I warmed up before the match but it was a totally different feeling, I don鈥檛 know what happened. I couldn鈥檛 control my serve 鈥 so this match was impossible to win.鈥

Monfils had to return to the court later on the same day for his third round match against Holger Rune where he was defeated 3-6 6-3 6-4.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A B.C. man has been ordered to pay a total of $4,000 to a Coquitlam company and its two owners because of a negative review he posted on Google.

The jury at the trial of a second-degree murder suspect in Sudbury on Wednesday heard graphic details of the crime scene discovered in a Kathleen Street apartment on Boxing Day 2020.

Three suspects are now in custody, including the person who police say shot and injured an officer during a robbery investigation in midtown Toronto on Wednesday afternoon.

Local Spotlight

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

On Saturday night at her parents鈥 home in Delaware, Ont. the Olympic bronze medallist in pole vault welcomed everyone who played a role in getting her to the podium in Paris.

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Stay Connected