Carlos Alcaraz took umbrage at a decision by Australian Open bosses to close the roof at Rod Laver Arena midway through his men’s singles final clash against Novak Djokovic.
The world No 1 had just pulled level with Djokovic in the second set, to go 2-6, 6-2, when he walked over to the chair umpire John Blom, to ask why the roof on the 15,000-capacity stadium was still closing.
While temperatures in Melbourne over the past week have risen to over 40°C, they had dropped to around just 15°C at the start of today’s match, with high winds sweeping their way through Melbourne Park.
Noting the conditions, Tennis Australia bosses subsequently opted to close the roof only partially to protect the court from the high winds. It was not shut completely as Grand Slam chiefs were keen to ensure that the tournament remains an outdoor event.
Carlos Alcaraz (left) approached the chair umpire at the end of the second set with the Spaniard appearing to take umbrage at why the roof at Rod Laver Arena was closing
While Novak Djokovic had left the court for a toilet break, Alcaraz (right) was overheard saying to the chair umpire: ‘Why is it closing?’
Djokovic had left the court for a toilet break during the interlude, when Alcaraz began to complain at why the roof was closing again to chair umpire Blom.
‘Why is it closing? The player doesn’t know that, you know what I mean?’ the six-time Grand Slam champion said.
Alcaraz walked away from the chair umpire and was then seen speaking with tournament referee Wayne McEwen on the side of the court, who appeared to explain the reason behind why the roof was closing.
Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley was then also seen speaking on the phone on the side of the court while peering up at the roof.
‘Alcaraz doesn’t look thrilled with that conversation,’ a TNT Sports commentator said, noting Alcaraz had walked away from the conversation shaking his head.
‘It’s almost like they are hedging their bets a bit, isn’t it? The rain might be coming so we’re just going to make sure if it does we can close the roof quickly.’
Tim Henman on TNT Sports’ coverage of the match noted that closing the roof even partially will change the conditions inside Rod Laver Arena, removing how the wind will impact the play.
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The roof and the conditions inside Rod Laver Arena had been a big talking point before the match, with Aussie great Todd Woodbridge saying to Nine: The radar says there’s no rain on the radar for at least 90 minutes or so but whether the roof closes is up to the referees.
‘The other thing is there’s 40-50km/h winds — it is blowing an absolute gale out behind us. Now, if the roof is open, the court here is somewhat protected, but it will definitely make a difference on the ball striking early on in the match.’
American tennis great John McEnroe called for organisers to shut the roof in order to help both players compete at the highest standard.
‘I would like to see it closed, only because I think the level of play will go up, because these winds are howling pretty good,’ he said.
