Carlos Alcaraz makes star-struck confession as he ‘puts on a show’ for sporting greats
Carlos Alcaraz is determined to entertain no matter who is watching, but that doesn’t mean the Spaniard doesn’t get nervous or star-struck when sporting stars show up for his matches.
Sporting superstars Argentine legend Juan Martin del Potro, Brazil footballer Neymar and NBA player Jimmy Butler all witnessed yet another showstopper from Alcaraz at the Miami Open on Monday evening.
The two-time Grand Slam winner produced a typically high-intensity performance during his win over Gael Monfils in the third round in Florida as he took just 74 minutes to brush the Frenchman aside, winning 6-2, 6-4.
Alcaraz regularly plays in front of celebrities, but there are still a few butterflies whenever an A-lister turns up at one of his matches.
“It’s kind of difficult to stay focused on the match, having such legends from every sport,” the world No 2 said. “It’s great for me. I try to show great tennis, try to make them happy as well, make them enjoy watching my games.
“It’s a great opportunity to have them here, to talk with them a little bit. It’s great to put on a show in front of them.”
He added: “Most of the time I don’t know who is going to come to the game, but today I knew they were going to come. I spoke to Neymar a little before and he told me that he was coming with Jimmy Butler. So I knew beforehand.”
So what did they talk about once they met up after the game?
“A little bit of everything. I was talking a little about Neymar, about how he is doing with his knee, recovering, step by step,” the 20-year-old explained.
“He’s here for a couple of days, enjoying Miami a little, and that’s all we talk about. Then, with Jimmy, too, he has a very important match tomorrow. I wish him good luck and I hope he arrives.”
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As for the match against Monfils, who himself is a showman, Alcaraz broke twice in both sets and he put his excellent forehand to good use throughout the match.
The Spaniard, though, had nothing but praise for the former world No 6.
“He’s a great athlete. He reaches almost every ball,” he said. “But at the same time, with my forehand, my best shot, I tried to move him around the court, tried to get him tired a little bit and give myself the chance to dominate the point, trying to go to the net and hitting my best shots.”
He added: “It’s always fun playing against Gael. It’s very good for me to share the track with him. We both try to smile all the time.
“We try to enjoy playing tennis almost every second when we play a match. I think that thanks to that we can offer very good tennis, a very good show to the fans, to the people too.”
