Carlos Alcaraz regrets throwing racket, calls it "mental stop"

Carlos Alcaraz has expressed regret over throwing his racket to the ground during his match against Emil Ruusuvuori at the 2023 Madrid Open.

The start of Alcaraz's title defense at the Masters 1000 tournament wasn't as smooth as many in the tennis world would have expected. After losing the first set, the Spaniard clawed his way back into the match to defeat Ruusuvuori 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 and level their head-to-head record at 1-1.

The match, which lasted two hours and 17 minutes, saw a moment of frustration from the World No. 2 as he hurled his racquet to the ground during the second set. Alcaraz saved as many as five break points in the sixth game and eventually forced a decider.

In a press conference after the match, Alcaraz cited a "mental stop" that caused him to act the way he did. The 19-year-old also asserted that he didn't support such behavior.

"In that game, I remember I was 30-30 and I missed a return on my second serve that I didn't touch and another ball that I didn't touch either," Carlos Alcaraz said. "It was a mental stop at a moment that made me throw the racket."

"I don't support that kind of thing, but today it came out, which I regret. I talked about it with Juan Carlos and I know that this kind of thing can't happen. The good thing is that I have rectified and I have continued to be positive, that's what has made me improve," he added.

Despite struggling with a few injuries, the 2022 US Open champion has had a terrific season so far, winning 24 out of 26 matches. He already has trophies at the ATP 250 Argentina Open, Masters 1000 BNP Paribas Open and ATP 500 Barcelona Open.

If Alcaraz wins in Madrid, he could regain the No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic by merely turning up at the Italian Open in Rome.

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Carlos Alcaraz: "I would say I was about to lose"

Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz gave it his all to turn the match around against Emil Ruusuvuori in Madrid. In his on-court interview, the Spaniard praised his opponent and spoke about the conditions in Madrid before expressing satisfaction with his own performance.

"I would say I was about to lose," Alcaraz said. "It was tough for me to get used to the conditions. There is so much altitude here, the ball bounces a lot. I am not going to use excuses. Emil was better than me until 3-3 in the second set, hitting the ball with no mistakes, serving well with a lot of rhythm. It was tough for me to stay with him. But I am happy to come back and finish with a lot of confidence."

Alcaraz will face Grigor Dimitrov in the third round on Sunday, April 30. He leads 1-0 head-to-head against the Bulgarian.