Carlos Alcaraz completely destroyed his racket in a shocking 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 loss to Gael Monfils on Friday afternoon.
The former world number one and current third in the world lost to Monfils in the round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open and was annoyed during the match.
Alcaraz destroyed his racket in a tirade while not playing his best tennis.
Alcaraz won the first set 6-4, but lost the next two sets, ending the match.
“For me, it was the worst game of my career,” Alcaraz told reporters after the game. “I trained really well. I felt great. But I couldn’t play. I want to forget about it and try to move on to New York.”
With this victory, Monfils achieved his most significant victory in two years.
The player, ranked 34th in the world, will undoubtedly improve his ranking ahead of the US Open, which begins later this month.
Alcaraz, who won silver at the Olympics earlier this month, was playing his first tournament since the conclusion of the Summer Games.
“That never happened to me before because I could control those feelings,” Alcaraz said of his racket swing. “Today I couldn’t. I felt like I wasn’t playing tennis at all. That was really frustrating for me. At some point I didn’t want to be on the court anymore.”
The four-time major championship winner will look to rebound later this month at the US Open in Queens, where he won the 2022 tournament.
Earlier this year, Alcaraz won both the French Open and Wimbledon.
