WATCH: Furious Alcaraz Refuses Umpire's Request During Cincinnati Row

Carlos Alcaraz's affable nature does not prevent him from becoming frustrated. An incident during his last match at the 2025 Cincinnati Open showed that.

Alcaraz played Luca Nardi in the round of 16. Although the five-time Grand Slam champion was the overwhelming favorite to win, his patchy performance in the opening round against Damir Dzumhur might have given Nardi some hope.

The Spaniard avoided any chance of an upset by performing well to win 6-1, 6-4. He broke Nardi and four times controlled the match throughout despite the Italian doing well to make the second set quite competitive.

Alcaraz's routine victory will probably be best remembered for his interaction with the umpire, Greg Allensworth. The ATP world No. 2 thought the umpire was unreasonable and got him into unnecessary trouble during the incident.

Alcaraz drank water from an Evian bottle in his match with Nardi. The worldwide brand has sponsored other tennis tournaments and also has partnerships with some players to promote its products.

Despite the two-time Wimbledon winner drinking from his Evian bottle for a significant period of the contest, Allensworth asked Alcaraz to remove or cover the Evian label because they are not a Cincinnati Open sponsor.

The dialogue between Alcaraz and Allensworth, which can be watched in the video below, demonstrates the Spaniard's confusion and annoyance with the umpire. He felt he was being singled out for something the umpire should have noticed sooner.

Alcaraz: "Because of that, (the Evian label), I have to put it in and out at every changeover?"

Allensworth: "It's what we've been told because of the logo, the sponsors."

Allensworth: "I understand, but in all honesty, I would have had you cover it anyway."

Alcaraz: "It wasn't my fault. Why should I have to cover it when it wasn't my fault?"

Allensworth: "It's my fault because I didn't catch it sooner."

Alcaraz: "Because it's your fault, I have to cover it? It doesn't work like this. I have to pay for this because it's your fault? No, I'm not going to cover it."

Although it seems like a small issue, Alcaraz's concern about potentially being fined or facing any penalty because the umpire did not initially notice the label is understandable. Presumably, Alcaraz would not have complained had the umpire told him immediately.

Tournaments sign lucrative deals with their sponsors, meaning those brands care if another is getting unpaid attention. The Cincinnati sponsors might be irritated by Evian getting attention from the moment between Alcaraz and the umpire.

Alcaraz has already contested two superb Grand Slam finals with his great rival Sinner this season, winning one each. Despite their incredible rivalry on the court, the pair have a good relationship, as demonstrated by their interaction on the practice courts in Cincinnati.

Hopefully, the two best ATP players in the world are fit and firing for the 2025 US Open. Jack Draper, another exciting player to watch, recently provided an injury update ahead of the season's final Grand Slam.