Tennis is not always a game of calm and precision. Carlos Alcaraz, known for his control on the court, starred in a scene that left spectators at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 speechless.
The world number three, at 20 years old and a clear favourite, was eliminated in the third round of the prestigious tournament by the veteran Frenchman Gael Monfils, 37 years old, in a match that had everything, including an angry attack from the young man from Murcia.
The defeat came in three sets, with a final score of 4-6, 7-6 (5) and 6-4 in favor of Monfils. But what really caught the attention was not only the victory of the Frenchman, but the moment when Alcaraz, after finding himself at a disadvantage in the third set, exploded. The Murcian, normally very restrained, let his frustration fly by smashing his racket against the ground repeatedly, leaving it completely shattered.
This unusual behaviour from Alcaraz soon went viral. Social media was flooded with images of the young tennis player unleashed, in a reaction that few would have expected from him. There were also those who criticised this attitude.
Two big hits in a short time
Alcaraz’s frustration seems to have deeper causes than just losing a match. After an excellent start to the season and high expectations, the Spaniard is coming off a painful defeat in the final of the Paris Olympics against Novak Djokovic. After that match, the Spaniard looked very shaken.
The pressure to live up to expectations, combined with a demanding schedule, could have taken its toll on him after the huge blow of not winning gold for the Spanish delegation. And now, largely due to the rain, he has to leave at the first opportunity a tournament in which he finished runner-up last year.
In this sense, the match against Monfils had started the night before, when Alcaraz was in a favourable position. However, the rain interruption, when he was leading 4-6, 6-6 and Monfils dominated the tie-break with 3-1, changed the course of the match. When the match resumed the next day, Monfils took advantage of the situation, closed the tie-break and took control in the third set. It was at that moment that Alcaraz, seeing himself outmatched and without answers, unleashed his anger on his racket.
