Carlos Alcaraz appeared to be irate after being handed a time violation during his Qatar Open quarterfinal against Karen Khachanov on Thursday. The Spaniard tried to appeal to chair umpire Marija Čičak, but to no avail.
Alcaraz is looking to win the Qatar Open for the first time in his career. He breezed through his opening two matches, but finds himself up against it against Khachanov. As of this writing, the Spaniard is a set down in the quarterfinal.
Carlos Alcaraz Upset After Receiving a Time Violation
Alcaraz received a time violation during the first set of his contest against Khachanov. The Spaniard was left aggrieved by the decision and expressed his frustration in protest, asking the umpire about when the clock had been stopped.
Alcaraz not happy about a time violation warning he received from the umpire during his match against Khachanov in Doha
“I stopped the time.”
Carlos: “No you didn’t.”
“I did. I stopped time at 25 seconds when it started. Then you got the towel. Then I started the clock again.”… pic.twitter.com/RKCCesRbXa
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 19, 2026
Khachanov also showed great sportsmanship and asked whether the time violation could be overturned, but the umpire stood firm in her decision.
Alcaraz still upset about the time violation warning he received during his match against Khachanov in Doha:
Carlos: “The ATP rules are always shit. They’re shit.”
Umpire: “Ok. Well, I think we got the point.”
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/HIcl14jQcg
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) February 19, 2026
Alcaraz certainly appeared to be off his game in the first set and was seen sharing his annoyance about the decision with the umpire during a break later on in the set. The set was ultimately won by Khachanov, who clinched the tie-break 7-3.
Alcaraz Had Called for Change to Time Violation Rule Last Year
This is not the first time Alcaraz has fallen foul of the contentious time violation rule in tennis. The 22-year-old was also called to the rule change meeting following his match against Jaume Munar at the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club.
Alcaraz was hit with the penalty during the three-and-a-half-hour encounter and was later asked whether the rule needed to be changed.
“I think so,” Alcaraz said via Marca. “They also need to be a little more flexible with that. We’ve been playing for three hours, we finished a long point at the net, they should be a little more flexible and give us a little more time.”
“It’s not nice, and it’s not nice for us either. Personally, I try to go as fast as possible. I can’t remember the last time I was given a warning for time, and in the first round I didn’t have any problems. Today I had several problems with it. I don’t understand it. I also think it’s a problem with the chair umpire, who maybe wanted to be in the spotlight today, but anyway, it’s a rule that should be changed,” he added.
Alcaraz has enjoyed a dream start to his 2026 season. He won the Australian Open to complete his career Grand Slam and has yet to lose a match this year. He will hope to turn things around and keep that streak going against Khachanov in Doha.
