Serena Williams’ Ex-Coach Slams Carlos Alcaraz for Playing Exhibitions Despite Scheduling Complaints: 'I Find It Funny'

Carlos Alcaraz was harshly criticized by Rennae Stubbs for his complaints about the tennis schedule. At the Japan Open, Alcaraz accused the ATP of forcing players to feature in tournaments they don’t want to play, saying too many mandatory tournaments stop the players from thinking clearly about which tournaments they want to feature and skip.

Alcaraz made his debut at the Japan Open and ended his campaign by going past Taylor Fritz in straight sets in the final. He won’t be playing the Shanghai Masters because of an ankle injury.

Alcaraz has so far featured in three exhibition tournaments and will also be playing at the Six King Slam, which will offer huge $6 million prize money to the winner. Alcaraz missed the mouthwatering prize money to his arch-rival Jannik Sinner last year.

Whenever Alcaraz complains about the schedule, he faces criticism for his participation in exhibition tournaments. Even Novak Djokovic (though he did not only talk about Alcaraz) echoed that players are inconsistent when they talk about the calendar. Serena Williams‘ former coach, Stubbs, during her The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, gave her take on the same.

I find it funny because, as much as I love Carlos, I’ve seen lately that he’s literally signed up for almost every exhibition in December. I don’t blame the players; the tours have to change in some way. It’s hard to take tennis players seriously when they say, ‘Yes, the schedule needs to be shorter so we can go to exhibitions in the suburbs of Miami.’ Again, it’s not so much a criticism; it’s just a bit inconsistent. That’s funny to me.

Alcaraz is next scheduled to feature at the Paris Masters, which starts on October 27. So far this season, the 22-year-old has withdrawn from four official tournaments, including the Davis Cup qualifiers.

The Spaniard has clinched the most titles this season on the men’s tour – eight from 10 finals. As he is not playing the Shanghai Masters, he could lose his World No.1 ranking to Sinner if the latter defends his title and wins the Vienna Open later.

The six-time Grand Slam champion currently has 11,340 points, while the Italian has 10,000. Alcaraz lost 200 points after skipping the Shanghai Masters.

Alex Michelsen calls Carlos Alcaraz the fastest player on the tour

Alex Michelsen was amazed while watching Carlos Alcaraz clash with Francisco Cerundolo in the Laver Cup, where Team World denied Team Europe their sixth title. During the Nothing Major podcast, the American ace shared his experience of what it was like watching Alcaraz play up close, calling the Spaniard the fastest player on the tour.