Carlos Alcaraz has won me money before, so I can’t allow this hatred!
Tennis superstar Stefanos Tsitsipas wasn’t a happy camper whatsoever Tuesday during his French Open quarterfinal match against Carlos Alcaraz, and that’s because of the two-time Grand Slam champion’s “extended grunt.” In fact, it bothered Tsitsipas so much that he issued a complaint to the chair umpire.
A 2021 French Open finalist, Tsitsipas walked up to the umpire after he lost a tie-break during the second set, complaining about Alcaraz’s … erm … tactics? (RELATED: LIV Golf’s Ian Poulter Blasts British Airways After They Lose His Clubs)
Following him knocking the ball into the net, Tsitsipas made the suggestion to the umpire that he was being distracted by the noise.
“When I’m about to hit the shot, there is an extended grunt,” said Tsitsipas, according to video per Eurosport. “The grunt is extended. It’s like a millisecond before I hit it.”
Stefanos Tsitsipas is not happy about Carlos Alcaraz’ grunt.
He spoke to the umpire about it after the 2nd set tie break:
“I never complain about this but it’s frustrating. When I’m about to hit the shot… and moments before I hit the shot, I still hear the grunt. It’s not… pic.twitter.com/EXKiTBfGwg
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) June 4, 2024
I watch a good amount of tennis because I gamble on it (it’s quite profitable), and I can’t think of one match where a “grunt” hasn’t existed, so this story is hilarious to me.
At the same time though, if you listen to the audio of the video, Tsitsipas kind of has a point with his complaint, which would make this entire situation even more funny if we find out Alcaraz was doing it on purpose. And honestly, knowing the history of tennis, he could’ve been … but like I said, I can’t hate on a guy who has made me a good chunk of change in the past, just recently too.
I’ll just sit back and laugh at this one, such a typical story out of tennis.
