Watch: Carlos Alcaraz’s dispute with umpire in Cincinnati: ‘It’s always your fault and then I have to pay’

Ewan West 14 Aug 2025 2:12 PM

Carlos Alcaraz in Cincinnati

Carlos Alcaraz rated his fourth round win over Luca Nardi as his best display of the Cincinnati Masters so far, but the match also featured a dispute involving the Spanish star.

The five-time major champion defeated world No 98 Nardi 6-1, 6-4 to progress to the quarter-finals in Mason, Ohio.

During the match, Alcaraz was irked by a request made by chair umpire Greg Allensworth.

Allenworth asked Alcaraz to cover the Evian logo on his water bottle, but the 22-year-old — who is sponsored by Evian — refused.

Here is a transcript of the exchange.

Allensworth: “This is what we’ve been told because of the logos and the sponsors.”

here he goes https://t.co/pKmle9keFG pic.twitter.com/4DJ3jtst37

— f (@fvaeey) August 14, 2025

Alcaraz: “Yeah, but it wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fault. Why it should be covered (the water bottle)… because it wasn’t my fault.”

Allensworth: “Yeah, but in all honesty, I would have had you cover it up anyway.”

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Alcaraz: “It wasn’t my fault, why I have to cover it if it wasn’t my fault?”

Allensworth: “It’s my fault because I didn’t touch it sooner.”

Alcaraz: “Yeah, so because it’s your fault I have to cover it? You know, it doesn’t work like this. It was your fault, it’s always your fault and then I have to pay for that because of your fault…”

Allensworth: “We have to get going now.”

Alcaraz: “No, I’m not going to cover it.”

What did Alcaraz say after the match?

In his on-court interview, Alcaraz said: “I think this match was the best so far for me in this tournament.

“At the beginning of 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 really happy with the way I felt the ball today and the way that I moved.”

Who will Alcaraz play next?

The world No 2 will take on 11th-ranked Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals after the 27-year-old Russian cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 fourth round win against Francisco Comesana.

Alcaraz holds a 3-1 head-to-head record against Rublev, having prevailed in four sets in the pair’s most recent clash in the last 16 at Wimbledon last month.