Carlos Alcaraz in awe after meeting Maria Sharapova – ‘I was shocked’
Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz had a surprise encounter with tennis great Maria Sharapova in Canada recently.
Reigning world no 1 Alcaraz is currently in Toronto for the Canadian Open while five-time major champion Sharapova is attending the Unmatched Gender Equity in Sports Conference in Ontario.
And the two bumped into each other, much to the delight of the young Spaniard as he revealed that he was quite surprised to see the tennis great.
“I have seen many of her matches, she was a fantastic tennis player, one of the best in the world,” Alcaraz, who defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets in his opening match in Toronto on Wednesday, said. “And I was shocked because I didn’t expect her to be here in Toronto.
“And she was the first to get on the elevator and I was like, ‘Is it Maria or not?’ It’s been great meeting her and knowing that she’s doing great right now. I was able to talk to her a bit and it was very nice.”
Alcaraz and Sharapova have a lot in common as they both enjoyed a lot of success before the age of 21.
Sharapova won her maiden Grand Slam at the age of 17 when she lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2004 while Alcaraz secured his first major when he was 19 at last year’s US Open. The Russian became world No 1 for the first time at the age of 18 while Alcaraz was 19 years old when he topped the ATP Rankings for the first time last year.
Earlier this year Sharapova praised two-time major champion Alcaraz as she admitted she was impressed with his “fighting spirit” and described him as a “one-of-a-kind player”.
“Carlos is incredible. What fascinates me most about him is his fighting spirit on every point,” the former tennis star – who retired in February 2020 – told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He manages to put on a show and ignite the crowd every time he sets foot on the field. I can’t wait to see him grow, I’m really curious to see where he can go and what he can do.
“I think in the beginning, the comparisons to Rafa [Nadal] were inevitable but he’s developing a style and a personality of his own that will make him a one-of-a-kind player.”
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