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<\/p>\nCarlos Alcaraz has hit out at an umpire who gave him a time violation, saying the official had \u201cnever played tennis in your life\u201d.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 in the final of the Japan Open, in Tokyo, but was furious to be given the violation in the opening set.<\/p>\n
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Alcaraz, the world No 1, criticised umpire Fergus Murphy, asking him: \u201cDo you think it\u2019s 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? Do you think it\u2019s normal or not? OK, you\u2019ve never played tennis in your life.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz was playing in a ninth consecutive tournament final, and it appeared a formality as Fritz struggled with a left thigh injury. But the American rallied from 5-1 down in the second set before Alcaraz closed out a bad-tempered win.<\/p>\n
Alcaraz\u2019s 24th career singles title was clinched with a deft, sliced drop-shot winner and reversed a loss in two sets last week to Fritz at the Laver Cup team event.<\/p>\n
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The Spaniard also improved his season record to a tour-best 67-7 as he stayed on course for the season-ending No 1 ranking.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been my best season so far without a doubt,\u201d Alcaraz said. \u201cThat shows how hard I\u2019ve worked just to be able to experience these moments and accomplish my goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
The final was a ninth in a row for Alcaraz since March, when he lost in the round of 64 at the Miami Masters. He is 7-2 in those finals, one of them at Wimbledon to Jannik Sinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t start the year that good, struggling emotionally,\u201d Alcaraz acknowledged, \u201cso how I came back from that, I\u2019m just really proud of myself, and of all the people around me who have helped me to be in this position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alcaraz deserved more time but tennis is right to speed things up<\/p>\n
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The irony of Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s time-violation warning in Tokyo is that he is normally among the speedier men on the tour. That is true for his timekeeping, as well as his electrifying movement around the court.<\/p>\n
A man who plays with the enthusiasm of a labrador puppy, Alcaraz can barely wait to get on to the next point. It is a similar story with his great rival Jannik Sinner, even if Sinner gives off a vibe of mechanical efficiency where Alcaraz is more flamboyant.<\/p>\n
In truth, the worst procrastinators have largely disappeared from view in recent months. The 25-second shot-clock was originally brought in to stop Rafael Nadal \u2013 and to a slightly lesser extent Novak Djokovic \u2013 from faffing around between points.<\/p>\n
Now that these two have stopped playing regular tour events, the pace of play feels like it has accelerated. But understandable delays do happen when a point runs for 20 or 30 shots or more, leaving the participants winded.<\/p>\n
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In these situations, the umpire is well advised to wait a little longer to call the score \u2013 which is when the shot-clock is supposed to be initiated. This can usually be done quite subtly, as there tends to be a loud ovation from the crowd after a punishing rally.<\/p>\n
With his pace around the court and his incredible defensive skills, Alcaraz is involved in more long rallies than most. So one can understand his frustration here. Fergus Murphy, who is an experienced chair umpire, should have given him more latitude.<\/p>\n
In general, though, the game could do with further acceleration. There should be another shot-clock, perhaps of 10 seconds or so, before the second serve. Also, serves that touch the net-cord should be considered legal, as they now are in junior and US college tennis. Finally, players should only be allowed one ball-toss: no tedious retakes please.<\/p>\n
Yes, there is too much dead time in professional tennis. But Alcaraz is not among the main offenders.<\/p>\n
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