Carlos Alcaraz angry rant at umpire – ‘Do you think this is normal?’ | Tennis | Sport

Carlos Alcaraz exploded in a furious rant at Japan Open final umpire Fergus Murphy, complaining about the usage of the shot clock during the showpiece match against Taylor Fritz. The pair were on serve in the first set, but Alcaraz grew increasingly frustrated at the official and felt that he was being rushed back to the court between points.

Alcaraz argued that Murphy was beginning the shot clock far too soon and took issue with his decision, insisting that he did not have enough time to sit in his chair and recharge before taking Fritz on again. He shouted: “Do you think this is normal? You never played tennis in your life!”

The umpire explained to Alcaraz that he was not the one controlling the shot clock, that the technology was automatic, but his efforts appeared to fall on deaf ears as the Spanish star continued to protest.

Fritz had held from 0-40 down before Alcaraz began his tirade, prompting the world No. 1 to go over to Murphy and demand that the shot clock be started later.

Alcaraz moaned further at his team, but soon brought a smile to his face when he was able to break Fritz and hold his serve to take the first set 6-4.

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This is not the first time Alcaraz has had issues with the shot clock, complaining in the last two editions of Queen’s.

Against Arthur Rinderknech in the quarter-finals this year, Alcaraz was given a warning for going beyond the allotted time between points.

He told Tennis Channel at the time: “The conditions were extreme with the heat. It was really, really hot out there, and yeah, really long rallies, long games. I felt like I had no time to recover between points. I was in a rush all the time.

“So it was kind of I can’t approach the next point in an appropriate way. I mean, that talk with the umpire, it wasn’t because of that I didn’t lose the focus, but it was a problem all the time with all the clock.”

The year prior, when a shot clock was being trialled at Queen’s Club, Alcaraz said that he would hold talks with the ATP after he claimed that the 25 seconds did not give him enough time.

When asked if he had spoken to the governing body, he replied: “Not yet, but I will, for sure.

“He told me that there is a new rule, this new thing, that the clock never stops. After the point is finished, the clock is putting on. I think for the players it’s something bad. I finish the point at the net and I had no time to ask for balls. I’m not saying to go to a towel and take my time. I feel like I can’t ask for the balls.

“It’s crazy. I have time just to ask for two balls and no bounces. I’ve never seen something like that in tennis.

“If you play a long point or finish at the net, you have time just to go for a towel or ask for your routine, ask for, in my case, four balls, I’m concentrating on the next point, just bouncing my bounces and serve as best as I can.

“Today I felt like I was in a rush all the time. I had no time to bounce and do my routine.”