"Actually disgusting";"It's racist, hope he's been reprimanded" - Fans furious over BBC commentator mispronouncing Carlos Alcaraz's name repeatedly

BBC commentator Andrew Castle has come under heavy criticism from tennis fans after his comments on the pronunciation of Carlos Alcaraz's name. The Spaniard took on Jake Draper in the third round of the Queen's Club Championships, falling in straight sets.

Castle took note of Alcaraz's approach to the chair umpire during the game in order to have his name properly pronounced and addressed the pronunciation controversy. He pointed out that even though the ATP tour website provides the proper pronunciation as "Alcarath," everyone will find it bothersome because they are accustomed to saying "Alcaraz."

"Is he talking about how he wants his name said? Look if you go on a pronunciation, by the way, if anybody is getting a wound out if we are saying Alkaraz or Alcarath or whatever. His name is Alcaraz. If you go on the pronunciation of the ATP tour website, it’s Alcarath. But everyone gets annoyed saying it…," Castle said.

Castle further clarified the pronunciation controversy by giving a reference to Bjorn Borg's actual pronunciation, which differs from common usage. Overall, Castle suggested that while names can be pronounced differently, they are always pronounced according to the form.

"And if we are going to get down that road we would have to refer to Bjorn Borg as Bjorn Boerg, and it's not gonna happen. All day long we can worry about this kind of thing. And how would say the bloke in the third match Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, I suspect there are one or two different ways to say that," he stated.

Watch the clip shared by a fan on X below:

Andrew Castle's viewpoint was not well received by the public, with some emphasizing that Alcaraz has a right to have his name pronounced correctly.

"It's actually disgusting & the fact he thinks it's funny also. No it's his name, he has every right to request it is said correctly, stop being lazy & learn the correct pronunciation," a fan wrote.

Another fan called Castle racist due to his comments. He wrote:

"I mean it literally is racist what he's saying. I hope he's been reprimanded and/or is forced to apologise."

Some more reactions are as follows:

"This is utter madness from AndrewCastle! People get annoyed pronouncing someone’s name correctly!!!!!!! Wow!" a fan said.

"Honestly the arrogance from Andrew Castle here. Yuk," another commented.

"The likes of Andrew Castle and John Inverdale should never be allowed in the vicinity of a commentary box," a fan chimed in.

"If any TV commentary could be the exact antithesis of cycling's Rob Hatch, I think this could be it. Time to let Andrew Castle out to pasture," another asserted.

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Carlos Alcaraz criticizes ATP's new shot clock rule

cinch Championships - Day Four

Following his defeat to Jack Draper, Alcaraz vented his frustration on ATP's new 25-second "shot clock" rule. This rule gives players a maximum of 25 seconds between points, and the timer will begin automatically three seconds after the previous point ends.

Alcaraz expressed his displeasure with the rule, saying that he hardly had time to reassess after the points. He said via iNews:

“I think for the player it is something bad. I finish the point at the net, and I had no time to ask for the balls. I have time just to ask for two balls and no bounces."

Next up for the Spaniard is the Wimbledon Championships. He won the Grass Major last year and will be looking to defend the title.