Carlos Alcaraz uncharacteristically lost his cool in the final of the Japan Open, berating the umpire in a furious tirade.
The world No 1 was angry at being given a time violation in the first set against Taylor Fritz and took aim at the umpire Fergus Murphy when he went back to his chair.
Alcaraz, arms outstretched in incredulity, said: ‘Do you think it’s normal that I finish a long point at the net and then barely have time to go for the balls, with no time to rest?
The umpire replied but his words weren’t picked up on the mic, before Alcaraz continued: ‘Do you think it’s normal or not? OK, you’ve never played tennis in your life.’
There was a murmuring in the crowd and Alcaraz’s rant had a comical element to it with a remix of the children’s song ‘If You’re Happy And You Know It’ being played in the arena.
The Spaniard was able to put his fury at the time violation behind him while playing in a ninth consecutive tournament final.
Carlos Alcaraz triumphed in the Japan Open but lost his cool with the umpire
It appeared he may be handed the win as Fritz struggled with a left thigh injury.
The American rallied from 5-1 down in the second set but Alcaraz clinched a 6-4 6-4 triumph.
Alcaraz was beaten by Fritz at the Laver Cup earlier this month but his only defeat since April in a regular tournament came against Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
The Spaniard re-established dominance over his big rival by winning the US Open final and has picked straight up where he left off in Asia.
Alcaraz’s achievement is all the more impressive because his campaign in Tokyo was almost over before it started when he suffered an ankle injury early in his opening match, but he went on to drop just one set all week.
‘I enjoyed every single second apart from the five minutes that I hurt my ankle,’ the 22-year-old said.
‘I’m really happy with the level that I played, with everything. First time here in Tokyo, first title, hopefully not the last one. I’m going to enjoy this moment.
‘My best season so far, without a doubt. I didn’t start the year that good, struggling mentally, struggling emotionally. Looking back and how I came back from that, I’m just really proud of myself.’
Taylor Fritz battled back valiantly in the second set but ended up losing 6-4, 6-4
Alcaraz’s physical issues have, though, prompted him to pull out of the Shanghai Masters, which starts on Wednesday and will feature the return to the ATP Tour of Novak Djokovic.
Sinner is on track to match Alcaraz after beating Alex De Minaur 6-3 4-6 6-2 in the semi-finals of the China Open.
The Italian, who revealed he had been struggling with stomach problems, continued his perfect record against Australian De Minaur with an 11th straight win but he was made to fight, saving 11 of the 12 break points he faced and losing a set for only the second time.
