Carlos Alcaraz crashed out early in the Rogers Cup on Saturday, losing to USA’s Tommy Paul 3-6. 6-4, 3-6. For the second year in a row, the World No.1 lost to Paul in the same tournament in an early round. And Alcaraz has found himself embroiled in a controversy after the loss, being compared to Novak Djokovic.
This is because in between the match, Alcaraz was seen throwing away his racquet in anger, which landed on the court. Although it was a rare outburst from the 20-year-old, many fans could not help but accuse the umpire of ‘double standards’ because had someone like Novak Djokovic done the same, he would have been heavily penalized. Interestingly, even Nick Kyrgios had a take on the Carlos Alcaraz controversy.
How Novak Djokovic was brought into the debate by fans
There is a school of thought on social media which claims that Carlos Alcaraz should have been slapped with a code violation for such an act. It was in a way, reminiscent of Novak Djokovic’s 2020 US Open Round of 16 moment when he threw the racquet in anger which nearly injured one lineswoman. Djokovic was soon disqualified from the tournament.
Fans also recalled the recent Wimbledon 2023 final, when the Serbian was fined $8,000 for smashing his racquet many times on anger, co-incidentally against Alcaraz.
Nick Kyrgios, who has himself been in trouble for his temper on many occasions, tweeted about the same in support of such acts, calling players ‘human’ to show their emotions on the tennis court. Instead, he recommended creating codes for umpires to follow. Notably, Kyrgios also praised Alcaraz, believing that he will be the leader in men’s tennis for the next 10 years.
Who the fu*k cares…. The dude is gonna be carrying the tennis load for the next decade.. good on him for showing he is human. Frustrated not playing up to standards. Also let’s start giving codes to umpires 🥔 https://t.co/VFw8qvXViW
— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 12, 2023
Here are some fan reactions to the post –
If Novak did this he d be in jail right now stop
— Dušan (@DusanVlahovic) August 12, 2023
No. Now I disagree with you, Nick. We do care, because if any other player would’ve done the same, specially Djokovic, that would’ve been penalized. We are pointing the double standard here. That’s all. 🤷🏻♂️
— Julio Cesar Rodriguez (@jcrmtxus) August 12, 2023
Agree with you, but my point really is that if this was you or Novak it would be 100% on a media loop saying what bad role models you are, and 100% you both get code violations for it.
Code’s definitely needed for umpires they continue to rule differently for players they like.
— Pavvy G (@pavyg) August 12, 2023
The point is the obvious double standards when it comes to Novak vs other players.
— Yoshida.eth 🐊 (@trotssler) August 12, 2023
Let him show his true emotions like Novak and Krgios. So the media can get used to it. We all know that it would be unfair to Novak and others. But who cares anyway. As long as we are here for our fave tennis players. Not for the media. #nolefam here. @DjokerNole
— Melnard (@MelnardDcT) August 12, 2023
It’s about double standards.
— Novak Goat 🐐 (@novak_goat) August 12, 2023
He points the double standards. Ofcourse one cares, except when Novak does it. I know it’s tiresome, but it needs pointing out every time, cause the witchhunt is real
— Dejan (@dejanmilicevic_) August 12, 2023
Personally I don’t have an issues with players smashing racquets or showing some emotion. Anyone who works under extreme pressure know it’s difficult to keep things in check ATT. What I find it staggering is people’s double standards. Imagine if Novak or Nick yourself did this
— jaxx7048 (@jaxx7048) August 12, 2023
Mate this has nothing to about that. It’s about the double standards. When you did those things, you got a lot of shit too. Let’s not even talk about Novak, because that would be spammed 24/7 all over the media.
— Sean 🐺 (@SensoSports) August 12, 2023
Alcaraz and Djokovic to play in Cincinnati Masters
The upcoming Cincinnati Masters might see Carlos Alcaraz take on Novak Djokovic in the men’s singles final this year if both of them make it since the Spaniard will be the top seed in the first half of the draw. While the 23-time Grand Slam champion will be playing his first tournament since the Wimbledon 2023 final and will be the second seed on the other side of the draw.
It is likely that Carlos Alcaraz could once again take on Tommy Paul, his Rogers Cup conqueror in the third round. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic might face a stiff challenge in the further rounds, as England’s top-ranked player Cam Norrie and Italy’s Jannik Sinner could be his quarterfinal and semifinal opponents respectively.
On the other hand, Nick Kyrgios recently announced that he will be missing out on the US Open 2023 after failing to recover from his knee and wrist injuries, which also made him sit out of the Wimbledon Championships.
