Carlos Alcaraz was furious during his first-round match at the 2024 China Open in Beijing after the umpire gave him two warnings in one game.
The Spanish player led Team Europe to victory at the recently concluded Laver Cup, and he had to quickly move to Beijing, where he was scheduled to play as the second seed.
Some of his rivals struggled to make the quick transition, losing early, but that wasn't the case for the 21-year-old, who controlled the match against Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard from start to finish.
Still, there was a moment that could have significantly disturbed the four-time major champion, as he received two time violations in one game, and it was a crucial game.
Alcaraz broke his opponent's serve already in the first game of the opening set, and all he needed to do was take care of his serve, avoiding any break points, to serve out the opening set of the match.
However, when he was serving for the set, at 5-4, the second seed received a time violation, as he exceeded the shot clock, which in Beijing, is automatic. As a result, umpire Raluca Andrei gave him a time violation warning.
That isn't unusual, but what followed only a couple of minutes later was a bit unusual. After overturning a 0-40 deficit in the game to lead A-40, having a set point, Alcaraz received yet another time violation, this time costing him his first serve at a crucial point of the match.
Obviously, he was far from happy about that, as after recovering a 0-40 deficit, the last thing he wanted to do was lose the game despite having a set point. When he heard the time violation, the Spaniard couldn't believe it and immediately approached the umpire, unhappy with the call.
"This is not tennis."
He won the rally after his second serve, and therefore also the first set, but continued the debate with the umpire, clearly distracted by what happened in the final game of the first set.
"I'm always very quick, I never get warnings. You gave me two in one set. It's impossible to play tennis like this."
While clearly distracted by the time violations, Alcaraz was able to broke his opponent's serve in the first game of the second set as well, and ultimately win the match in two simple sets, 6-4, 6-4.
It was a needed win for him, and in the second round, he will play against Tallon Griekspoor, who bested Miomir Kecmanovic in three sets 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3. Despite the unlucky scenes from his match against Mpetshi Perricard, the reigning Wimbledon champion focused on the positives of the tournament in Beijing after the match.
"Well, I mean, this tournament, for me it's really, really good. We have a lot of facilities. The gym is pretty good, the locker rooms, the areas, the player lounge. I mean, everything is pretty good for the players."
"Yeah, I like this tournament. I like playing here. I'm not going to lie, I feel comfortable here. That's all I can say. And the fans, the people here is so kind. They are always trying, finding the ways to help us, make feel us as much comfortables as they can. I mean, as I say, it's a great tournament."