Carlos Alcaraz didn’t want to put any blame on a VAR check for his Indian Wells Masters semifinal exit as the No. 2 seed said it was a normal procedure and there was nothing to complain about.
With the Spaniard and Jack Draper tied at 1-1, 15/15, in the third set, chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani called a double bounce on the Briton’s side of the court. But the world No. 14 didn’t agree with that call, instantly calling for it to be video-reviewed.
After a review, it was determined that Draper was right and the umpire ordered for the point to be replayed. The 23-year-old didn’t agree with that either, calling for a second review to determine if he should be instantly given the point. He won that challenge as well.
VAR DRAMA! 🎥
Jack Draper was finally awarded the point after TWO video reviews in his Indian Wells semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz.#TennisParadise pic.twitter.com/atU0G2Pflb
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) March 16, 2025
When the match resumed, Alcaraz lost the next two points and got broken in the third and seventh games before the British tennis star went on to complete a 6-1 0-6 6-4 win.
Alcaraz on if he was impacted by the VAR situation
“Well, not really. I mean, I didn’t see if it was one bounce or two bounces at the beginning. So I was just waiting for the review,” the defending Indian Wells champion said after the loss.
“I mean, and after, you know, with the second review, it was in the middle of the point or after I hit it, so I wasn’t sure enough. So I didn’t hear, while I was hitting the ball, but I wasn’t sure enough to say something.
“And waiting for the ball reviews, they didn’t bother to me at all. I mean, that way it was normal for the review, so all I can say is Jack came, he played much better than me. You know, that point didn’t affect, you know, for my play at all.”
Meanwhile, it was Alcaraz’s first loss in the desert since losing to Rafael Nadal in the 2022 semifinal. Before losing to Draper, the 21-year-old Spaniard won 16 matches in a row and won back-to-back Indian Wells titles in 2023 and 2024.
Tennis World USA