Carlos Alcaraz completely destroyed his racket in a shock 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 defeat to Gael Monfils on Friday afternoon.
The former world number one and current world number three was furious during his loss to Monfils in the round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open.
Alcaraz wasn’t playing his best tennis and smashed his racket in a fit of rage.
Alcaraz won the first set 6-4 but lost the next two to end the match.
“I felt like it was the worst game of my career so far,” Alcaraz told reporters after the game. “Practice was going really well. I was feeling good. But I just couldn’t play. I want to forget about it and move on to New York.”
The win gave Monfils his most impressive victory in two years.
The world No. 34 will undoubtedly climb the rankings ahead of the US Open, which starts later this month.
Alcaraz, who won a silver medal at the Olympics earlier this month, was competing in his first tournament since the end of the Summer Olympics.
“That’s never happened to me before because I was able to control my emotions,” Alcaraz said of slamming his racket. “I just couldn’t do it today. I felt like I wasn’t playing tennis at all. It was really frustrating. At one point, I just didn’t want to be on the court anymore.”
The four-time major champion will be looking to bounce back at the U.S. Open later this month in Queens, where he won in 2022.
Earlier this year, Alcaraz won both the French Open and Wimbledon.
