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Carlos Alcaraz's decision to skip the Madrid Open 2025 due to an injury put him in the hot seat. As the leading star player from Spain, he was expected to compete in his home tournament. His withdrawal evoked some strong reactions, particularly from two of his compatriots.
Fans rushed to Iga Swiatek's defense after they felt that she was being unfairly maligned by the WTA. They did the same for Aryna Sabalenka after she was blasted by Serena Williams' ex-coach.
Alexander Zverev's tussle with the chair umpire over a faulty electronic line call at the Madrid Open led to a fresh controversy. Rafael Nadal was recently felicitated with an award, an honor that some fans felt was unduly given to him. Here's a quick rundown of the biggest controversies of the past week in the world of tennis:
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Carlos Alcaraz's withdrawal from the Madrid Open elicits stern response from his compatriots
Carlos Alcaraz kicked off the clay swing by winning the Monte-Carlo Masters. He extended his unbeaten run to reach the final of the Barcelona Open. However, he sustained an injury during his loss to Holger Rune in the summit clash. The tournament concluded just a few days before the start of the Madrid Open.
Alcaraz's presence at the Madrid Open was in doubt and he eventually pulled out of the tournament. This did not go well with two of his compatriots. Tournament director and former pro Feliciano Lopez expressed his displeasure in an interview with COPE and alluded to the 21-year-old's questionable scheduling being responsible for his current predicament.
"You have to know how to choose where you play, especially with players like Carlitos, who have the chance to win the trophy every week. I don't want to say that playing in Barcelona and Monte Carlo was the only reason, but it does have an influence," Lopez said.
Fellow Spanish player Roberto Bautista Agut had something to say as well during his chat with the press in Madrid. Alcaraz was also busy attending the Laureus World Sports Awards and dealing with media obligations related to the release of his documentary, 'Carlos Alcaraz: My Way'. The 37-year-old stated he cannot let himself get distracted by his other commitments and that his sole focus should be on tennis.
"I think top-level tennis demands a lot. I don't think Carlos is going to win Grand Slams by going to bed at seven in the morning. Tennis is very demanding, everything is very nice now, he's very young, but he has to realize that if he wants to match the numbers of the three top players, he has to play at a high level for fifteen years," Bautista Agut said.
"I consider him an intelligent person; I'm sure that little by little he'll realize what he needs to be at that good level and he'll implement it,” he added.
Alcaraz is scheduled to compete in next week's Italian Open. However, it remains to be seen whether or not he ends up participating there. He skipped the tournament last year as well due to an injury.
Fans call out WTA's alleged bias towards Iga Swiatek and preference for Coco Gauff
Iga Swiatek is not only fighting to defend her title at the ongoing Madrid Open but also trying to hold on to her position as the second-ranked player on the tour. Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are ranked right behind her at No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.
The WTA recently conducted a poll asking whether Swiatek would leave Madrid as the No. 2 or will she be surpassed by Gauff or Pegula. This led to a new round of discourse surrounding the WTA's alleged bias against the Pole while preferring some other stars.
Fans were quick to call out the governing body of women's tennis and banded together in support of Swiatek. They accused the WTA of rigging the draws and humiliating the Pole with such questions.
Swiatek is likely to leave the Madrid Open with her No. 2 ranking intact if she wins her fourth-round match, regardless of other results. Pegula lost in the third round and Gauff won't surpass her even with a title if the Pole reaches the quarterfinals.
Rafael Nadal's latest honor rubs fans the wrong way
Rafael Nadal was bestowed with the Laureus Sporting Icon Award at the Laureus World Sports Awards 2025 on April 21. This award was given to a player just for the second time since the inception of the ceremony in 2000. Fans were miffed at the latest honor for the Spaniard, with many of them suggesting that he was simply given this award to keep him relevant.
Other fans opined that Nadal's rival Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic were better suited for this award. The Spaniard previously won the Laureus World Sports Awards five times in different categories during his playing days. He retired from professional tennis in November 2024 in front of his home crowd at the Davis Cup Finals.
Serena Williams' ex-coach's opinion on Aryna Sabalenka's relationship with her team angers fans
Aryna Sabalenka's coaching team has remained unchanged for a long time now. All of them have a close relationship, having endured plenty of ups and downs over the years. The World No. 1 recently finished as the runner-up at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart. During her speech, she took a cheeky dig at her team.
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs had a few words to say about Sabalenka's behavior on her podcast. She felt that the Belarusian's attitude towards her team needed to change and her routine of sarcastically blaming them after every loss was getting stale.
"I'm really tired of the way she talks about her team with sarcasm after defeats. I can't take it anymore. Every time she loses, she's like, "Hey guys! Great job today!", and it's not funny anymore," Stubbs said.
Fans were quick to side with Sabalenka in this matter. They felt that Stubbs was meddling in something that she truly has no idea about. All of them are comfortable with each other or else they wouldn't have worked together for so long. The Belarusian is currently competing in Madrid, where she's due to face Peyton Stearns for a spot in the quarterfinals on Monday, April 28.
Alexander Zverev comes out with proof in the wake of his controversy at the Madrid Open
Alexander Zverev found himself in the middle of yet another controversy. He took on Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round of the Madrid Open on Sunday, April 27. They split the first two sets between them. Things took a turn for the worse in the 10th game of the third set.
Zverev contested an electronic line call at 5-4, 15-0, stating that Davidovich Fokina's last shot in the rally had landed out but was called in by the automated system. The German pleaded with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani to check the mark but the latter refused to do so.
Frustrated with the umpire's refusal, Zverev took matters into his own hands and whipped out his phone to take the picture of the mark. He was given a code violation for unsportsmanlike conduct for his behavior. He eventually won the match 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (0).
Zverev later took to Instagram to upload a picture of the mark in question. He will next take on Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round on Tuesday, April 29. The latter beat him in the quarterfinals of the Argentina Open earlier this year.
