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During his pre-tournament press conference ahead of the 2025 French Open, the media recently asked Carlos Alcaraz to give his thoughts on Max Purcell's doping ban due to IV infusions. The tennis community, however, has since lambasted the journalist for asking such a question to the Spaniard.
Purcell copped an 18-month doping ban from the International Tennis Integrity Association (ITIA) last month after it was found that he had received multiple intravenous infusions of vitamins above 500mL in December 2023. The Aussie's intake of supplements was well over the permissible limit of 100mL as per WADA's regulations, eventually leading to his suspension due to the "Use of a Prohibited Method" if ITIA's statement is to be believed.
In that context, a journalist asked Alcaraz to share thoughts on the above case, detailing how Max Purcell had apparently "feigned injury" to justify his IV infusions, which according to him was a growing problem in tennis. The Spaniard strayed from a strong response on the topic, though, as he seemingly didn't understand the question due to his lack of knowledge of the 27-year-old's doping case.
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"Honestly, what you told me right now, it sounds to me like you were talking Chinese," Carlos Alcaraz said in his reply to the journalist's question. "I have no idea what you were talking about, so I don't know if it's good or not. Honestly, I haven't heard that thing in my life so I can't answer, sorry."
Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) have since inferred that the media person in question was looking to set Carlos Alcaraz up for a sensationalist answer.
"Good answer Carlitos! Wtf is wrong with these journalists?" one fan on X asked.
"Players are not exactly well-informed about the TADP and its nuances. So asking them for opinions on these cases and creating headlines on them is just clickbait journalism," another asserted.
"WTF is wrong with journalists?" one more fan wondered.
"Sounds like the interviewer wanted Carlos Alcaraz to be an anti doping scientist and a language interpreter in one fell swoop," another joked.
"Perfect answer. Biased journalist who want to get words from somebody's mouth," one fan claimed.
A few fans, meanwhile, found Alcaraz's demeanor while answering the journalist's question hilarious.
"Love how he sat there patiently waiting for reporter to finish talking even though he had no idea what he was asking," one fan wrote followed by laughing emojis.
"His a** was NOT comprehending," another insisted.
The 21-year-old will face Italian qualifier Giulio Zeppieri in the first round of the 2025 French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz to defend French Open 2024 title over the next fortnight
Carlos Alcaraz enjoyed a sublime European claycourt swing in the lead-up to this year's Roland Garros. The Spaniard won titles at the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Italian Open, joining an exclusive club of players that have won all three 1000-level events on clay.
Alcaraz had won his maiden title at the French Open last season in scintillating fashion, coming from two sets to one down against Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev in back-to-back matches to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires. He went on to triumph at Wimbledon for the second year in a row a few weeks later to become the youngest player in the men's game to complete the "Channel Slam".
