Carlos Alcaraz annihilated his racket in a rare outburst after failing to convert a break point against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.
Last year’s runner-up was on the verge of an opening-round exit when he lost the second set and went down an early break in the decider.
He couldn’t get back on serve and smashed his racket into the ground several times, receiving a code violation from the umpire. And Monfils went on to pull off the upset, winning 3-6 7-6(5) 6-4.
The world No. 3 rarely loses his cool in a match and is known for his smiley demeanour. But tempers flared when he found himself on the verge of crashing out of the Cincinnati Open.
Alcaraz took the first set against Monfils when they started their match on Thursday night. But it was rained off with the Frenchman leading in the second set tiebreak. When they returned on Friday, Monfils took the second set and went 2-1 up with the break in the decider.
The 21-year-old couldn’t convert a break point to get back on serve in the very next game, which lasted more than five minutes. When Monfils won it, Alcaraz responded by pummeling his racket into the court repeatedly. His actions left Sky Sports commentators Jonathan Overend and Laura Robson in shock.
Goodness!” former British No. 1 Robson exclaimed. “When do you see that from him?” she added before Overend echoed her sentiment. “When have you seen that before in the life of Carlos Alcaraz?” he asked.
“That has properly shocked me. When was the last time he broke a racket? He has melted that thing,” Robson added. Alcaraz tossed the broken racket to the ground as he returned to his bench for the changeover and the chair umpire announced that he had received a code violation for racket abuse.
“That’s almost like his whole career of frustration coming out in one split second,” Overend said. Both laughed as a slow-motion replay was shown and Robson replied: “Had to take a breath after that one. That felt good!”
They were still in disbelief as Alcaraz stepped up to serve in the next game. When the camera panned to his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Robson remarked: “He must be shocked!” Overend agreed, adding: “Juan Carlos thinking, ‘Okay, this is a new side to my charge.
Alcaraz blew another break point opportunity in Monfils’ next service game but he kept his cool. A nd his time at the Cincinnati Open quickly came to an end as the 37-year-old sent him packing with a 4-6 7-6(5) 6-4 comeback win.
It means that he will go into the US Open with a 0-1 record on the North American hard courts this summer. Alcaraz won a silver medal at the recent Olympics and pulled out of last week’s Canadian Open to rest, leaving him with minimal preparation for the final Grand Slam of the season.
It’s a huge win for Monfils – a former world No. 6 whose ranking has dropped to No. 46 as he enters the twilight of his career. He will now face Holger Rune later on Friday.
