Carlos Alcaraz returned to action at last week’s Cincinnati Open following his loss to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal play-off match at the Paris Olympics. He received a bye into the second round, where he faced French veteran Gael Monfils.
Alcaraz nabbed the first set, and was on track for a routine victory. However, Monfils dug deep and pushed the second set to a tie-break, in which he led 3-1 before the play was suspended due to the weather. When they took to the court the next day, the Frenchman staged a valiant comeback to beat his younger rival 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.
The young Spaniard found it tough to cope with the fast conditions in Cincinnati, and even smashed his racquet in frustration. An early exit could signal the start of a slump but that’s unlikely the case here. Despite the loss, it’s too soon to be ringing alarm bells when it comes to his form, and here’s why:
