Carlos Alcaraz Loses His Cool Over Chair Umpire’s Strange Objection at Cincinnati Open

Last year at the Cincinnati Open, Carlos Alcaraz, the rather calm and collected player, couldn’t control his emotions. After losing 6-4, 6-7, 4-6 to Gael Monfils in the second round, all he could think to do was smash his racket into the ground. Once, twice, thrice, and once more, until he finally heard the chair umpire’s request. Then, he had blatantly analyzed his game after apologizing post-game as he said, “I feel like it was the worst match I ever played in my career.”

Fast forward to this year, in his R16 against Luca Nardi, he knew he was going to win. Alcaraz swept the first set 6-1 in just 27 minutes. In the next set, the Italian started better with a 2-4 lead. The Spaniard, however, tallied with four consecutive games. Nardi’s double fault on back-to-back points gave Alcaraz a match point serve, and the latter pushed for a quarterfinal ticket with a 6-4 victory. He exclaimed that it was the best outing yet in the event. Ironically enough, one incident still got on his nerves.

The Cincinnati Open is sponsored by multiple sponsors, including beverage companies like Pepsi, Dobel, and Ketel One. As a rule, many events do not allow any other brands to be visible. That’s exactly what ticked off Alcaraz. At one point during his match, he was drinking water from the bottle of his sponsors, Evian. When the chair umpire, Greg Allensworth, saw it, he requested Alcaraz to hide the logo. But a heated interaction followed:

Alcaraz: “So, it’s been out for two games and, right now, because of that, putting in and putting our, you never even noticed?”
Allensworth: “This is what we’ve been told because of the logos and the sponsors.”
Alcaraz: “Yeah, but it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault…Why it’s to be covered if it wasn’t my fault?”
Allensworth: “It was my fault because I didn’t catch it sooner.”
Alcaraz: “Yeah, so, because of your fault, I have to cover it? (…) I have to pay for that, you know? I’m not gonna cover it. I’m not going to cover it. I’ll put them there.”
Allensworth: “Let’s put them there, and then we’ll talk.”

The interaction even got the commentator to explain it to the viewers, “He’s asking him to cover the logo. It’s not in line with the (event sponsors).” Alcaraz had a few more sips and left the bottles right there. An attendant ultimately took care of them. However, the interaction only forced the cameraman to zoom in on the bottles and clearly show Alcaraz was sponsoring Evian, only adding to the chaos.

Apparently, when not following the rules, the players may have to pay a fine. Moreover, not obeying the umpire’s request would only add to that. For Alcaraz, though, it was not his fault. It was the duty of the event managers to check for such things and let him know the regulations before the match. Such a step was being taken for the spectators entering the Center Court. The security at the doors asked them to remove stickers with logos from their bottles to avoid irking the event sponsors.

Carlos Alcaraz, in the end, didn’t let those heated exchanges hamper his focus in the match against Nardi. He has now secured his second victory over the Italian. Alcaraz will now face Andrey Rublev in the QF. The Spaniard quickly got over the heated argument as he talked to the media about his improved game in Cincinnati.

Top Comment by No way

Totally disrespectful. Through success he has become entitled. Disgraceful behavior

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Carlos Alcaraz shares his thoughts about his performance against Luca Nardi

The world number 2, Carlos Alcaraz, has been one of the most consistent players this season. He has already won 5 titles in 2025, and this also includes the big one at Roland Garros. After missing out on the chance at Wimbledon by a close margin, he’ll now be coming out all guns blazing at the US Open. But for that, he first needs to get some wins under his belt at the Cincinnati Open. His previous best record in this tournament was reaching the final in 2023. At that time, Novak Djokovic defeated him in three sets.

Last year, he surprisingly went out in the R32 after losing the match against Gael Monfils. But this year, he has looked quite sharp, especially in his previous two matches. After securing the victory against Nardi, Carlos Alcaraz said, “I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament. At the beginning of the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I’m doing it, which I’m really proud about. I’m just really happy with the way I felt the ball today and the way that I moved.”

Alcaraz has a 3-1 record against Andrey Rublev, and a win in this match will take him one step closer to winning his first title in Cincy. Only, he needs to keep this winning run intact.

Other than his on-court brilliance, Carlos Alcaraz is now also closing in on another huge financial milestone. He is close to taking his career prize money past $50 million. Currently, he has a total earnings of $47,362,248 as overall prize money, and he’ll add a few more to this after the Cincinnati Open.

On top of that, Alcaraz will also get the chance to claim around $5 million at this year’s US Open. An increasingly lucrative range of sponsors tops his staggering prize money earnings, with Nike, Rolex, BMW, Babolat, and many more. He was also recently unveiled as an Evian ambassador, and looking at his interaction with the umpire, he seems to be quite adamant about fighting for their name.

Do you think Alcaraz can add a few more to his purse by clinching the title in Cincinnati? Share your thoughts in the comment box.