After Carlos Alcaraz's tense exchange with chair umpire at China Open, Kim Clijsters makes controversial demand about ball kids

Following a tense exchange between Carlos Alcaraz and the chair umpire in the first round of the 2024 China Open, former World No.1 Kim Clijsters made a controversial demand regarding the ball kids. Alcaraz's win in the opening round of the ATP 500 hard court tournament in Beijing brought his season record to 44 wins and nine losses.

Alcaraz arrived at the China Open after helping Team Europe win their fifth Laver Cup title. His campaign in Beijing began with a solid 6-4, 6-4 win over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. However, the match was not without its fair share of drama.

This year, the ATP 500 hard court tournament is using an automatic shot clock, and while Alcaraz was serving out his first set he received two time violations which resulted in the loss of his first serve on an advantage point. This, in turn, prompted a heated exchange with the chair umpire.

During the post-match press conference, Alcaraz explained the reason behind his confrontation with the chair umpire. He said that he was "mad" with the new time rules that allowed him no time between points to catch his breath or retrieve a towel.

"Obviously, I was little bit mad about the time rule because I feel like I have no time. I have to run between points. I have no time to have a break, to rest or to breathe. I mean, if I finish the point at the net, which was the case, I have no time to go to the towel and do my routine. I was a little bit mad about it," Alcaraz said .

In response to Alcaraz's comments, four-time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters proposed a solution - reinstating the rule where ball kids would bring towels to the players to reduce the time to retrieve them and recharge between points.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, a change was made to eliminate ball kids handling players' towels. Moreover, including ball kids has been a highly debatable topic in the tennis fraternity as some fans believe handing towels to players is 'disrespectful' towards children. However, this year, the ball kids are back in the China Open.

"Bring back the rule where the ball boy/girl can bring the towel to the player," Clijsters commented.

Screen grab of Kim Clijsters' comment/@tennischannel

Carlos Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor in China Open 2024 2R

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 China Open [Image Source: Getty Images]

Carlos Alcaraz will face Tallon Griekspoor in the second round of the 2024 China Open.

Griekspoor entered the China Open following a third-round exit at the 2024 US Open and helped his country, the Netherlands, secure their place at the knockout stages of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals.

At the China Open, the Dutch triumphed over Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7(3), 6-4, 6-3 in the first round to set up his match against Alcaraz.

Alcaraz and Griekspoor have faced each other three times on the ATP tour, with the Spaniard emerging victorious in all three encounters. The winner of their upcoming match will advance to face either Karen Khachanov or Francisco Cerundolo in the quarterfinals.