New Delhi, Aug 17 (IANS): Carlos Alcaraz has issued an apology for expressing his anger on the court following his early exit from the Cincinnati Open in Cincinnati, USA. The defending Wimbledon champion lost to Gael Monfils 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 in the second round clash.

Shortly after Monfils consolidated a break in the third set on Friday, Alcaraz was so frustrated that he smashed his racket against the court several times, bending the frame out of shape.

"I apologize because my attitude yesterday was not correct and it is something that should not be done on the track. I am human, I have a lot of nerves inside and sometimes it is very difficult to control yourself when your heart rate is so high. I will work so that it does not happen again. Time to think about NYC!," Alcaraz wrote on X on Saturday.

After losing the match, the Spaniard described it as the “worst match" of his career.

“I felt sometimes that I wanted to break the racket,” he told reporters. “It never happened before, because I could control myself in those situations, in those feelings. 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," he added.

After a debacle in the Cincinnati Open, Alcaraz will shift his focus to the US Open starting on August 26.