Kim Clijsters Backs Carlos Alcaraz for Criticizing ATP Rule During Argument with Umpire

Carlos Alcaraz will next be seen in action at the Indian Wells Masters, where he failed to complete the three-peat last year.

Kim Clijsters Backs Carlos Alcaraz for Criticizing ATP Rule During Argument with Umpire

Carlos Alcaraz, Kim Clijsters (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz, talkSPORT)

In Short
  • Carlos Alcaraz criticized the ATP's shot clock rule during a match against Karen Khachanov.
  • Kim Clijsters expressed support for Alcaraz's comments, suggesting they may lead to changes in ATP rules.
  • Alcaraz won his first ATP 500 title in Doha after defeating Arthur Fils in the final.

During his Qatar Open quarterfinal against Karen Khachanov, Carlos Alcaraz had an altercation with umpire Marija Cicak after being given a time violation warning. Alcaraz was towel-drying himself when he received the warning and started arguing, and Cicak sarcastically said she couldn’t invent more time.

A frustrated Alcaraz then slammed the shot clock rule, saying, “The rule is always sh*t“. Former WTA No.1 Kim Clijsters has now reacted to Alcaraz’s clash with the umpire. She said on the Love All podcast:

I love that Carlos Alcaraz is actually saying that stuff because I think it does for him to do it. It must be really frustrating, or something must be triggering. It comes from a place where he’s very annoyed by it. So, I enjoyed that he spoke up and that maybe behind the scenes, he mentioned the ATP rules, so maybe they’ll change a little bit about the shot clock, and I agree.

After knocking out Khachanov, the seven-time Grand Slam champion eliminated defending champion Andrey Rublev in the semifinals. In the final, Alcaraz played a near-perfect match to beat Arthur Fils and win his first ATP 500 Doha title.

It was his second title of the season; before Doha, he completed the Career Grand Slam by defeating Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final, becoming the youngest man to do so and the youngest to win seven Majors in the Open Era. Also, before improving his head-to-head record to 5-5 over the Serb, Alcaraz knocked out Alexander Zverev in the longest semifinal of Australian Open history.

Arthur Fils heaps praise on Carlos Alcaraz after their Qatar Open final clash

Carlos Alcaraz maintained his perfect head-to-head record over Arthur Fils after beating the Frenchman in the final of the Qatar Open. Fils was then scheduled to play Jiri Lehecka in the Dubai Tennis Championships, but he ended up withdrawing from it. He recently spoke to Tennis TV about his clash with the World No.1.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’ve never had a really tough loss, I don’t remember. Sorry for the word, but I never got my a** kicked that much. Two days ago was, he played pretty good (smiles).

Fils has so far added three titles from seven finals to his trophy cabinet. The last time he won a title was at the 2024 Japan Open by defeating Ugo Humbert.

Andrey Rublev analyzes his match against Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz clinched his fourth consecutive win against Andrey Rublev, improving his head-to-head record to 5-1 after their clash in the semifinal of the Qatar Open. Rublev, during his interview with Marca, said he cannot call Alcaraz unbeatable.

Carlos Alcaraz (2)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

It’s the first match where I felt competitive playing against him from the baseline. In previous matches, including the one I won against him in Madrid or when I won a set, it was more because Carlos played poorly or because I, at times, played very well. The Doha match was completely different.

Alcaraz will next be playing the Indian Wells Masters, the main draw of which is scheduled to start on March 4. The 22-year-old won the Indian Wells title in 2023 by defeating Daniil Medvedev and defended it the following season by beating the Russian.

Last year, however, he failed to complete the three-peat, losing to eventual champion Jack Draper in the semifinals. At the Miami Open, Alcaraz defeated three-time Grand Slam finalist Casper Ruud in the final back in 2022. Last year, he suffered an opening-round exit. Alcaraz has so far won eight Masters 1000 titles, last winning a title of this level at the 2025 Cincinnati Masters after receiving a walkover from Jannik Sinner.

Also read: Andrey Rublev Admits He Doesn’t Believe Carlos Alcaraz is Unbeatable on Tour