Alcaraz issues apology after Cincinnati outburst

Carlos Alcaraz has issued a public apology for his rare show of frustration during his opening-round loss at the Cincinnati Open Friday.

The World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings broke his racquet after repeatedly smashing it into the court early in the third set of his surprise loss to French veteran Gael Monfils.

The 21-year-old took to social media on Saturday to reflect on his behaviour.

"I apologise because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track," Alcaraz wrote on X. "I am human, I had a lot of nerves inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is so high. I will work so that it does not happen again. Time to think about NYC!"

Pido perdón porque mi actitud de ayer no fue correcta y es algo que no debería hacerse dentro de una pista. Soy humano, tenía acumulación de nervios dentro y a veces es muy complicado controlarse cuando estás con las pulsaciones tan altas. Trabajaré para que no vuelva a… pic.twitter.com/YR0dRJhTxX

Alcaraz is 38-8 on the season, having won three titles including majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Spaniard will next head to New York, where he competes at the US Open. He is looking for a big result to boost his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals (10-17 November) in Turin.

Alcaraz leads Monfils 2-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

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