French Open: Fans boo as Carlos Alcaraz forced to forfeit game after attack of cramp against Novak Djokovic
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Updated 09/06/2023 at 16:34 GMT
The umpire of the monumental semi-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at the French Open had to try to calm the fans down after they made their displeasure known as the Spaniard was forced to forfeit a service game due to suffering from cramp. With the match very finely balanced, the crowd was denied the encounter they were wanting as Alcaraz suddenly found his movement limited.
Alcaraz forfeits service game due to cramp - umpire struggles to calm booing fans
The fans at the French Open were less than impressed when Carlos Alcaraz was forced to forfeit a key service game after what appeared to be an attack of cramp against Novak Djokovic in their huge semi-final on Friday afternoon.
As he blasted a forehand into the net to give Djokovic a service hold to draw level at 1-1 in the third set, the world No. 1 and top seed suddenly suffered a big problem with some serious pain in his right leg.
It seemed to be a nasty case of cramp as the Spaniard was forced to take a medical time-out, and because it was not a changeover, he therefore had to forfeit what would have been his subsequent service game.
It immediately handed Djokovic, who produced some incredible play in the match, the advantage in the set at a very key early moment with Alcaraz not even able to contest his service game as suddenly the Serb had a commanding lead at a crucial stage in the match.
As the umpire explained the rules to the fans, there were loud boos from around Court Philippe-Chatrier as the disappointing situation dawned on the fans and they perhaps felt sympathy for the Spaniard.
"He’s allowed treatment in the changeover, and he’s allowed it for one more after that," explained Miles Maclagan, on commentary for Eurosport at the time.
"He’s forfeiting the points of the rest of the game so he can get treatment at the changeover. You can’t take a medical time-out [when it's not a changeover].
"It looks like he’s just trying to stretch his calf out. You can’t take a medical time-out."
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'He's in a bad way!' - Awful moment Alcaraz suffers cramp against Djokovic
Simon Reed added: "It does seem harsh [Djokovic being awarded a break], but that’s how they regard the cramp. He's in a bad way! What a time for this to happen.
"The clock is running [for the time-out]. As if we hadn’t had enough drama in this match.
"Have you ever seen Alcaraz suffer [like this before]? We’ve seen an awful lot of Carlos over the last year or so, and never seen this."
It was such a shame given the incredible contest that had been unfolding on Court Philippe-Chatrier with Alcaraz producing one of the greatest shots seen on the court with an outrageous scoop in the second set.
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'Beyond belief!' - Alcaraz leaves Djokovic laughing and applauding with 'unreal' winner
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