Days after Novak Djokovic raised complaints about the condition of the courts at the 2024 French Open, Carlos Alcaraz faced a similar issue against Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday. Like Djokovic, Alcaraz also took up the matter with the chair umpire, complaining that Court Philippe-Chartrier was too devoid of clay on the night.
Alcaraz came out strong in the opening set of the final in Roland Garros, taking it 6-3. However, the German found his rhythm soon afterwards, upping his game to take the second set 6-2. In the third, the Spaniard was leading 5-2 before capitulating under pressure, allowing Zverev to mount a comeback for 6-5.
In the changeover before the final game, the World No. 3 addressed the umpire, pointing out that there was barely any clay on the court that it felt like a hardcourt to him.
“This is unbelievable,” Carlos Alcaraz said. “It’s not a clay court, it’s a hard court. No clay there.”
In the fourth-round win against Franciso Cerundolo on Philippe-Chartrier, Djokovic had been left fuming by the build-up of clay on the court, which also led to him having a nasty fall.
“Great job from you guys. You know better than us. It’s not slippery at all. Not dangerous at all. Well done supervisor and everyone. Ground staff, well done,” Djokovic muttered to himself while sarcastically giving a thumbs up.
While Djokovic managed to win the clash, he ended up tearing his medial meniscus muscle and withdrew from his quarterfinal fixture against Casper Ruud. In Carlos Alcaraz’s case, the Spaniard went on to lose the set in the next immediately after speaking to the chair umpire.