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Carlos Alcaraz's participation in the Charlotte Invitational, his second exhibition of the off-season, has sparked discussions among fans. Some claimed the Spaniard shouldn't complain about the 'demanding' tennis schedule if he was going to participate in a lot of exhibitions.
Alcaraz has participated in quite a few exhibition events this year such as the Netflix Slam, the Six Kings Slam, the Laver Cup, and most recently, the Garden Cup, where he defeated Ben Shelton at the Madison Square Garden.
The Spaniard also often complained about the tennis schedule which he deemed to be 'demanding' and 'tight'.
"A lot of matches, really tight schedule, really demanding year with not too many days off, not too many period of you could rest, you could practice at home," he said at the ATP Finals.
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Following the conclusion of the Garden Cup, Alcaraz will now head to the Queen City for the Charlotte Invitational to play Frances Tiafoe. They will be joined by Madison Keys and Sloane Stephens who will face each other.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) criticized Carlos Alcaraz for his off-season schedule. One fan said that they didn't want the Spaniard to question the 'long' season. The fan wrote:
"Don’t wanna hear any more complaints from Alcaraz about the season being too long"
Another fan claimed Alcaraz might lose in the final 8 of the Australian Open, the first Major of the year, and he would then blame the scheduling. Alcaraz lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals of the Melbourne Major this year.
"Second exhibition with his season already over, then you will lose in AO quarters and blame the calendar," the fan commented.
Here are a few more reactions from fans:
"So these exos are why these folks are gassed in the Slams," a fan opined.
"Yeah okay well Carlos has no right complaining about the “demanding” tour schedule," a fan said.
"Common denominator is Carlitos. He must be getting a mil for each appearance," a fan claimed.
"How much are the tournament organizers paying Carlos to show up at mid tier cities for exhibition matches," a fan quipped.
Not only fans but Billie Jean King also criticized the players for complaining about the long tennis calendar.
"We all have to separate the exhibitions and the calendar" - When Carlos Alcaraz defended himself from people complaining about his participation in exhibitions
During a press conference ahead of the 2024 China Open, Carlos Alcaraz addressed the criticisms he faced for playing in exhibitions despite his complaints about the tennis schedule. He said there existed a separate calendar for the exhibition events.
"I've seen a lot of people talk about my exhibitions this year and complain about the schedule, at the same time putting a lot of exhibition. But I want to say there is different things; we all have to separate the exhibitions and the calendar," Carlos Alcaraz said.
However, Alcaraz's reasoning didn't convince the fans as they called out the Spaniard's 'hypocrisy'.
Carlos Alcaraz finished the year with an impressive 54-13 win/loss record and won the French Open and Wimbledon. He ended the season as the World No. 3.
