Hey there, fellow tennis enthusiasts It’s your girl Mia Johnson-Carter here, living the dream in Miami. I’m super excited to share some juicy news from the world of tennis that’s got everyone talking.
Carlos Alcaraz, the four-time Grand Slam champion, wasn’t happy with chair umpire Raluca Alexandra Andrei during his opening match in Beijing. And boy, did he let her know about it The Spanish tennis star was hit with two time violations in the first set against rising French star Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The second one came at a pretty bad time, as Alcaraz had just saved three consecutive break points and had a set point when the umpire felt he was slow with his serve. As a result, Alcaraz lost his first serve but managed to stay composed and close out the opener.
But what really caught everyone’s attention was what happened next. When Alcaraz came to his chair, he had something to say. “This is not tennis. I’m always very quick, I never get warnings. You gave me two in one set. It’s impossible to play tennis like this,” he bluntly told umpire Andrei.
Despite the initial frustration, Alcaraz moved past the incident and played a solid game in the second set. He broke Mpetshi Perricard at the start of the second set and then held on to his serve for the rest of the match, securing a two-set win.
Carlos Alcaraz and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard
Alcaraz reflected on his strategy during the match, saying, “The plan was just to put as many returns in as I can. Honestly it wasn’t easy. He was serving 230 or 240 almost every serve. Second set, 210 or 215. So, it wasn’t easy to play against him. He’s a really powerful player. Big serve, big shots from the baseline. So I had to be really focused. That was the plan. Try to not make too many mistakes and play aggressive from the baseline.”
In his next match, Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor, the same player who stunned him in the US Open second round.
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