TENNIS
Alcaraz explains Cincinnati racket rage
We don’t often see the Spaniard lose his temper on-court. Defeat to Gaël Monfils tested his patience. Afterwards, he was self-critical about his performance.
A rare bad day at the office for Carlos Alcaraz. Due to delays due to rain, the Murcian faced a fraught Friday in which he had to close his match against Gaël Monfils, then, if he won that, play the next round of the tournament.
However, despite the fact that when the match resumed he had a set in his favour and the opportunity to come back in the tie break for the second, the situation quickly became complicated and the Frenchman forced a third set. Monfils won and provoked a reaction we have never seen in the usually unflappable Alcaraz.
Alcaraz takes frustration out on his racket
Out of sheer frustration, the Spaniard trashed his racket, striking it against the floor with four heavy blows on center court at the Lindner Family Tennis Center. It’s the first time we have seen Alcaraz lose his temper in a match and take it out on his Babolat Pure Aero racket.
In the post match press conference, he explained all. “Honestly, it has been very difficult for me. I felt like it was the worst match that I have ever played in my career,” said the discontented player from El Palmar. “Couldn’t play. I’ve been practicing really well in this tournament. I was feeling great, hitting the ball well. But I have not been able to control myself. There were moments where I did not want to be there. I wanted to leave the court”.
Alcaraz was hard on himself, and despite the fact that he was ahead on the scoreboard when the game resumed, he also pointed out that the day before he was not playing well either and also noted the unusual speed of the court.
“I felt like I was playing a different sport on the center court compared to the other courts. The ball was faster on center court and bounced more than on other courts. I warmed up before the match and it was a totally different feeling. I don’t know why...”
Suffering like we have never seen him suffer before Carlos says he is already thinking about turning the page and having his mind set on the US Open. “Honstly I don’t know what happened. Or why I felt that way. I couldn’t control myself. I want to forget about this match because it is impossible to get anything good out of this match” concluded the Spaniard.