"Who the f*%k cares, good on him for showing he is human" - Nick Kyrgios defends Carlos Alcaraz amid criticism for racquet throw in Canadian Open loss

By Urvi Mehra

Modified Aug 12, 2023 08:08 GMT

Nick Kyrgios has shared his support for Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard was subjected to criticism for throwing his racquet in frustration during his quarterfinal defeat to Tommy Paul at the 2023 Canadian Open.

On Friday, August 11, Paul defeated Alcaraz 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to advance to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 semifinal. The Spaniard got off to a slow start, suffering a break of serve in the opening game of the match. The 20-year-old continued to struggle with his performance in the first set as he committed four double faults and seven unforced errors, which allowed the World No. 14 to break his serve two more times.

After double-faulting on set point and losing the opener, the World No. 1 flung his racquet toward his seat in a display of frustration.

A fan shared a clip of the incident on social media and expressed their dissatisfaction with the Spaniard not receiving a code violation for his outburst.

"No code violations for boy wonder," the fan captioned the clip on Twitter.

Nick Kyrgios came to Carlos Alcaraz's defense. Referring to the young gun as the future of the sport, the Australian praised the 20-year-old's "human" response to being frustrated with his level of play. Kyrgios also advocated for the umpires to be subjected to codes.

"Who the fu*k cares…. The dude is gonna be carrying the tennis load for the next decade.. good on him for showing he is human. Frustrated not playing up to standards. Also let’s start giving codes to umpires," Kyrgios tweeted.

"He's one of the best players in the world right now" - Carlos Alcaraz lauds Tommy Paul after Canadian Open defeat

Following his second consecutive defeat to Tommy Paul at the Canadian Open, Carlos Alcaraz lauded the American as a "complete player" and a challenging opponent.

"I mean, he's certainly a complete player. You know, the matches that we have played has been really tough ones, you know, last year, in Miami, and this one," he said.

The Spaniard also described Paul as one of the "best players in the world" at the moment, sharing his appreciation for the World No. 14's all-court ability.

"He's a really solid player. Has great talent, great shots. You know, he's really, really fast as well. So he's one of the best players in the world right now. So he's really tough on every surface. I mean, he's a mix of everything," he added.

Tommy Paul will be up against Jannik Sinner in the semifinals in Toronto. Sinner defeated Gael Monfils 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 to book his spot against the American.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz will be back in action at the Western & Southern Open, which is scheduled to be held between August 12 and August 20. The top seed could potentially set up a thrilling third-round clash with Paul at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati.