“I’m not allowed to go to the towel?” Carlos Alcaraz argues Doha time violation

Carlos Alcaraz let loose a rare moment of frustration in his Doha ExxonMobil Open quarterfinal on Thursday, taking issue with a time violation warning following a lengthy rally with Karen Khachanov.

🖥️📲 WATCH LIVE: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Karen Khachanov, Doha QF

“I’m not allowed to go to the towel?” asked an incredulous world No. 1, who was serving at 4-4 in the first set.

Alcaraz, who is playing his first tournament since capturing the Career Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open, was triumphant only moments earlier when he outfoxed his No. 7th-seeded rival at the net. But umpire Marija Cicak issued a time violation warming after Alcaraz exceeded the 25 seconds meant to be taken between points.

Cicak argued to Alcaraz that she had reset the clock only after the Spaniard had walked to the back of the court to retrieve his towel.

The two continued to debate the issue during the changeover, with Alcaraz requesting in vain that the violation be canceled.

“I can’t invent more time,” explained Cicak.

Alcaraz went on to lose the first set to Khachanov in a tiebreaker, but ultimately advanced in three sets, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-3, shaking hands with Cicak at the match's conclusion.