Carlos Alcaraz Apologizes for Outburst at Cincinnati Open: 'Should Not Happen'

World No. 3 tennis player Carlos Alcaraz apologized Saturday for his actions during a surprising loss to Gael Monfils in the Round of 32 at the Cincinnati Open on Friday.

After losing a game in the third set to go down 3-1, Alcaraz repeatedly smashed his racket onto the court:

Alcaraz, who went on to lose 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, to the 37-year-old veteran, took to Instagram on Friday express remorse for the incident:

"I want to apologize for my attitude yesterday, it was not good and that should not happen on court. I'm human, the nerves had accumulated and sometimes it's very tough to control when there is that tension. I will work so that it doesn't happen again. Now it's time to think about NYC!"

The 21-year-old Spaniard has already established himself as an elite player, winning four Grand Slam singles titles since 2022, including this year's French Open and Wimbledon.

In addition to winning a pair of Grand Slams, Alcaraz won a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris this month, losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.

Given how well Alcaraz has played this year, few could have expected him to fall to Monfils, who has advanced past the third round at a Grand Slam only once in the past four years.

Following his shocking loss, Alcaraz was extremely hard on himself, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), saying: "I felt like it was the worst match that I've ever played in my career. I've been practicing really well. I was feeling great. But I couldn't play. I want to forget it and try to move on to New York."

In the six Grand Slams Alcaraz has played in over the past two years, he has three titles, two semifinal appearances and one quarterfinal appearance to that credit.

Given that level of success in the biggest tournaments, Alcaraz likely always expects himself to go the distance and win every tournament he is in.

That didn't happen for him in Cincinnati, but there is a much bigger tournament and potential prize on the horizon.

The U.S. Open begins next week in New York City, and it will see Alcaraz attempt to win his third consecutive Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz's first career Grand Slam title was the 2022 U.S. Open, and if he can win it again this year, it would give him five career Grand Slam titles, which would tie him for 13th on the all-time list in the Open Era with Rod Laver and John Newcombe.