'I'm not going to cover it': Carlos Alcaraz blasts official over sponsorship row in Cincinnati Open

While he is well known for his composed demeanour on court, in a rare instance, Carlos Alcaraz could not hide his frustration with the chair umpire as he was seen engaging in a heated exchange at the Cincinnati Open. The incident took place on Wednesday when Alcaraz was up against Luca Nardi in the round of 16 match-up of the tournament.

Although Alcaraz was able to register a routine 6-1, 6-4 victory, what transpired with the official drew more attention than the match itself. During the first set, umpire Greg Allensworth asked the Spaniard to cover the logo on his water bottle, citing conflicts with official sponsorship deals.

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Alcaraz takes on umpire at Cincy Open

Alcaraz refused to follow the directive and passionately argued with Allensworth before simply continuing to use his water bottle as usual.

“Yeah but it wasn’t my fault,” he was quoted as saying by Express. “Why would I have to cover it when it wasn’t my fault? Because it’s your fault you’re saying I have to cover it now? No, I’m not going to cover it.”

The episode did not unsettle the No.2 seed as he continued to showcase brilliant tennis and convincingly won the first set, 6-1. Nonetheless, he was in a spot of bother in the second set when Nardi was up 4-2. But, as he so often does, the 22-year-old found his rhythm again and wrapped the set with a 6-4 scoreline. With the win, he has moved to the quarterfinals of the tournament, where he will face Andrey Rublev.

Following the end of the match, Alcaraz did not pay any heed to the argument with the umpire and instead reflected on his performance.

“I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament,” he said.

“At the beginning for the tournament, I just really wanted to get better every day, after every practice and every match. I think I’m doing it, which I’m really proud about. I’m just happy with the way I felt the ball today.”