"It is bad" - Carlos Alcaraz furious over "crazy" shot clock rule after feeling "rushed" during loss to Jack Draper at Queen's Club Championships

Carlos Alcaraz has registered his discontent over the automatic shot clock after crashing out of the 2024 Queen's Club Championships. He lost to Britain's Jack Draper in a Round-of-16 matchup on Thursday, June 20.

Alcaraz began his title defense at the ATP 500 tournament by defeating Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets on Tuesday, June 18. The top seed met his match in Draper on Thursday, Jne 20, as the latter produced a disciplined show to knock the Spaniard out.

Draper remained unbroken and, in turn, broke Alcaraz's serve once to secure a 7-6(3), 6-3 victory in under 100 minutes.

Alcaraz seemed annoyed by the shot clock during the match as he found out it had been set to run automatically as soon as a point ended under a trial and was not controlled by the chair umpire.

"I mean, he [chair umpire] told me that there is a new rule, this new thing, that the clock never stops. After the point is finished, the clock is putting on," the World No. 2 told the reporters in West Kensington. (via Express)

He declared the change unfavorable for the players, saying:

"I think for the player it is something bad. I mean, I finish the point at the net, and I had no time to ask for the balls. I mean, I'm not saying to go to a towel and taking my time. I feel like I can't ask for the balls. It's crazy. I have time just to ask for two balls and no bounces."

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Carlos Alcaraz: "I had no time to bounce and do my routine"

Carlos Alcaraz; (Getty)

Furthermore, Carlos Alcaraz claimed that the automatic clock disturbed his rhythm and called for an exception in the time limit after a long point or a finish at the net.

"I mean, I think I have never seen something like that in tennis. If you play a long point or finish at the net, you have time just to go for a towel or ask for your routine, ask for, in my case, four balls, I'm concentrating for the next point, just bouncing my bounces, and serve as best as I can," the Spaniard added.

Alcaraz also said that he felt being in a rush throughout the run and that he wasn't able to do his regular routine.

"Today I felt like I was in a rush all the time. I had no time to bounce and do my routine. Of course it's something bad for the players, I think."

Carlos Alcaraz's inability to defend his winner's points from last year's Queen's Club Championships will see him drop to third in the ATP rankings, behind Novak Djokovic.

The Spaniard is not scheduled to appear in any of the tournaments taking place in the upcoming week, so he will next be in action at Wimbledon, where he is the defending champion.

He currently has 26 wins out of 32 matches so far in 2024, winning the French Open and the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.