Alcaraz: 'Impossible to get any good from this match'

Carlos Alcaraz has no shortage of memorable accolades this season, from winning two majors, an ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells and a silver medal at the Paris Olympics. But the Spaniard wants to have no memory of any kind of his second-round loss against Gael Monfils at the Cincinnati Open.

“It's kind of really difficult to find some good stuff from this match. So I want to forget it, and try to move on to New York,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “I'll go to New York and I'll try to practise well, to get used to those courts. And I will forget this match, because I think it is impossible to get any good things about this match.”

The 21-year-old, who was competing in his first hard-court tournament since Miami in March, held championship point last year in Cincinnati before Novak Djokovic roared back to claim the title in what is largely considered one of the greatest ATP Masters 1000 finals.

Playing his first match in Cincinnati since that near-four hour epic, with hopes of going one step further than last year’s runner-up finish, Alcaraz was instead stunned by the 37-year-old Monfils 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-4. The 15-time tour-level titlist spoke candidly in assessing his level.

“I felt like it was the worst match that I ever played in my career,” Alcaraz said. “[I] couldn't play. Honestly, I've been practising really well here in this tournament. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well. I don't know what happened. I don't know how I felt like this, but I couldn't control myself. I couldn't be better. So this match, it was impossible to win.”

Alcaraz grew atypically frustrated when Monfils consolidated his break lead early in the deciding set. The second seed smashed his racquet on the hard court four times, breaking it in several places.

“I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racquet. It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings," Alcaraz said. "Most of the time I could control myself and it could go better in the matches or in the situation that I've been feeling before.

“Today, I couldn't control myself, because, as I said, I was feeling that I was not playing any kind of tennis. I think some players, a lot of players, during their careers and during some certain moments, they can't control themselves. And it was one of the moments for me.”

Alcaraz and Monfils began their match Thursday evening, but were forced off court due to rain with the World No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings leading 6-3, 6-6(1/3). Trailing by a mini-break in the second-set tie-break when the match resumed Friday, Alcaraz was hopeful to find a better level.

“I just [tried] not to think about the match last night. I just want to recover as best as I can, to have a good rest and be ready for today's match," Alcaraz said. "Yesterday, I didn't play well as well. I think yesterday the longest rally was five balls. So I couldn't get feelings yesterday. So I just thought that, ‘Well, have some rest, and tomorrow it's gonna be another day. I'm probably going to feel better.’ But it didn't happen.”