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.
Here are some fan reactions to the post –
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.
