‘Worst match,’ that’s what Carlos Alcaraz described after losing in the second round of the 2024 Cincinnati Masters. The Spanish sensation gave his all but couldn’t overcome the challenge of a spirited Gael Monfils. Alcaraz was left so frustrated by the result of the match that he smashed his racket hard on the court and destroyed it after the match. However, he recently received praise after accepting his mistake of not being able to control his emotions.

Earlier this week, the American legend James Blake sat down for a conversation during the Nothing Major podcast. In the episode released today, Blake discussed the highlights of the 2024 season and named his picks for the various ATP awards. And he picked Alcaraz for the ATP sportsmanship award after Alcaraz issued an apology following his angry Cincinnati outburst.

During the podcast, Blake revealed, “I’m gonna pick Alcaraz here, different reasons but strictly because he had racket smash at Cincinnati this year so that makes him just more relatable. He owned his mistake and 99.99% time, he is having the most fun out of anyone on the Tour. To see him have that moment of weakness in the sense and come into the press and ease after saying that he’s gonna move on, that’s impressive to see.”

Following the incident, Alcaraz took to social media and accepted his mistake, saying, “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 had 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.”

While Alcaraz hasn’t had the best of endings to the season, many feel that the best is yet to come from him. Earlier this week, Australian legend Pat Cash remained hopeful about Alcaraz’s abilities.

Pat Cash on Carlos Alcaraz: ‘He is such a complete player at this age’

After winning the China Open back in October, Alcaraz had a barren run of form. He even bowed out of the ATP Finals in the group stage and couldn’t lead his national team beyond the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup Finals. Nonetheless, Pat Cash believes that Alcaraz still has the fuel to excel at the top level despite his form being a bit shaky.

During an interview, he said, “I hope Carlos continues to enjoy his tennis and doesn’t feel burdened by it all. He could look at it and think ‘I’ve done just about everything and I’m getting sick of this’, but you can see he loves it at the moment and it’s amazing that he is such a complete player at this age. Alcaraz has got everything. I’ve never seen a young player who has developed all his game at such a young age. There are normally some areas that need improving at that age.”

Further, he added, “Alcaraz is an incredibly complete. He’s lightening fast, he can play on any surface and at the moment, you would put him in there with Sinner as a favourite for every tournament he enters.”

Meanwhile, Alcaraz has confirmed his participation at the Australian Open. It is the only slam missing from the Spaniard’s trophy cabinet and he would look to go all guns blazing to win the title Down Under. Do you think he can do that? Let us know in the comments below.