NEW YORK — Inside hours of Carlos Alcaraz arriving on web site to the US Open Aug. 25, and lengthy earlier than he had even taken the court docket for his first-round match, he had turn into the day’s largest storyline.
Not due to his rivalry with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, or as a result of he was a favourite to win the title once more. Everybody was talking about his new haircut.
“I imply, it is undoubtedly horrible,” Frances Tiafoe, a two-time US Open semifinalist, stated after his match with amusing earlier than including a caveat. “He is my man although.”
Over the subsequent 48 hours, it felt like each participant on tour — from Naomi Osaka to Alexander Zverev to Emma Raducanu to Sinner himself — was requested about, and had an opinion on, Alcaraz’s hair. Every remark seemingly made the web rounds, and Alcaraz responded to all of it along with his signature good-natured humor, blaming his younger brother for the look.
Now, greater than every week later, Alcaraz’s hair has already began to develop again, and he has since booked his ticket to the semifinals following a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 20 seed Jiri Lehecka on Tuesday. And whereas the questions on his reduce have appeared to fade, the incident stays an interesting reminder of simply how beloved he’s. Whereas some gamers are all the time extra common or approachable than others within the locker room, only a few gamers of Alcaraz’s caliber, at this stage in his profession, sometimes maintain that distinction.
It begs the query: How can Alcaraz, a five-time main champion and present world No. 2, be so feared on the tennis court docket for his blistering athleticism, relentless grit and highly effective forehand — however be so popular with his opponents off of it?
“It is so robust to drag off that stability,” Sam Querrey, the previous Wimbledon semifinalist-turned-analyst and podcaster, informed ESPN this week. “Not many superstars can pull it off. When he walks across the participant lounge, you’ll be able to poke enjoyable of him, and he is simply so cool with all people. [Roger] Federer and [Rafael] Nadal had that somewhat bit, however Carlos appears to have extra of that [quality].
“He is a worldwide famous person, however there are elements of him which might be simply the on a regular basis man, and folks gravitate to that.”
TENNIS, AT ITS CORE, is a deeply particular person sport.
On the court docket, gamers are alone. Whereas their coaches and help groups are seated close by, and can provide occasional steering, it finally comes all the way down to the participant to problem-solve and discover a method to win on their very own.
Away from competitors, gamers are on the street for a lot of the 12 months, touring from resort room to resort room and event to event. It may be an isolating expertise, and gamers usually spend most of their time with their respective groups. Many high gamers over time have stated they discover it too troublesome to be shut with their friends.
“It is robust to have actually good buddies on the tour,” five-time main champion Maria Sharapova said in 2011. “I discover it troublesome to be having dinner with somebody one evening after which having to play them two days later, as a result of it’s on the finish of the day a person sport and we’re all very aggressive … we’re not on a crew and so far as actually shut buddies go, I’ve my household who include me on the street. I do not dangle round within the locker room — it is my least favourite place on the planet.”
Whereas issues have modified lately — US Open breakout star Taylor Townsend credited the pandemic for shifting locker room dynamics in an interview with ESPN in 2024 — and Querrey insists the boys’s locker room has all the time been a friendlier place, Alcaraz appears to relish being round his friends in a method that maybe different superstars do not.
Firstly of the event, a picture circulated of Alcaraz and Sinner collectively at Osteria Delbianco, an Italian restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. Whereas Alcaraz later defined it was only a coincidence they have been each there, what made it outstanding was that it was plausible that they have been there collectively. The identical seemingly would not have been the case for Sharapova and say, Serena Williams, or Federer and Nadal within the early years of their rivalry.
Earlier than he retired in 2022, Querrey, 37, spent quite a lot of his profession across the Massive Three of Nadal, Federer and Novak Djokovic. In accordance with him, Federer “could not have been nicer” if approached, and even was “wonderful with it” if made enjoyable of, however wasn’t fairly as naturally chummy with everybody total. Nadal was additionally gracious along with his friends, however the language barrier might make it difficult. As Alcaraz has made a deliberate effort to enhance his fluency in English, it has allowed him to extra seamlessly work together with a bigger group of gamers and people across the tour.
“Carlos speaks higher English than Rafa does,” Querrey stated. “Due to this fact, I feel he will get sarcasm, humor, issues like that in a method that was tougher with Rafa. It is helped him turn into extra of a worldwide star but in addition permits fellow gamers and followers to strategy him extra casually.”
Querrey added that on his “Nothing Main” podcast, which he co-hosts with fellow retired American gamers John Isner, Steve Johnson and Jack Sock, they were recently talking about whether or not Alcaraz was capable of all the time fly non-public at this level in his profession. With out lacking a beat, Alcaraz shortly commented on the clip on social media — spelling errors included — to say he flew business and shared his route from Madrid to Cincinnati. When Alcaraz noticed Querrey a day or two later, he good-naturedly got here as much as him and reiterated that he had, in actual fact, needed to make a connecting flight in Philadelphia to get to the Cincinnati Open.
At that event, Townsend, the world No. 1 in doubles, requested Alcaraz — who went on to win the title — to take an image together with her younger son. He did not hesitate and engaged in a dialog.
“He was so good,” Townsend recollected concerning the encounter. “I forgot he is not No. 1 [and] I used to be like, ‘Carlos is No. 1 too.’ A.J. goes, ‘You are No. 1? Similar to my mother.’ Carlos was like, ‘I am form of shut.’ He performed it off.”
Facundo Bagnis, a profession journeyman who misplaced within the first spherical of qualifying on the US Open, referred to as Alcaraz, “an excellent higher particular person” than tennis participant in an interview with the ATP, and shared a narrative about asking Alcaraz to assist him make a birthday video for a buddy.
“He might have informed me no, ignored me or informed me what day to do it on,” Bagnis said. “However he responded by asking me once I had time so we might do it. I believed that was actually one thing. He was doing me a favor and ended up contemplating my availability. It is wonderful that somebody so necessary and so good remains to be so pleasant [and] well-mannered.”
Even when gamers lose to Alcaraz, they usually nonetheless sing his praises and share their properly needs. Shortly after Alcaraz defeated Tiafoe within the US Open semifinals in 2022, Tiafoe sought him out within the locker room, as later shown on Netflix’s “Break Point” docuseries.
“Go win this factor,” Tiafoe stated earlier than giving him a hug.
Alcaraz reminded Tiafoe that he was “wonderful” as he began to stroll away. “Do not forget it.”
SHORTLY AFTER HER RETIREMENT from the game, American Shelby Rogers, a two-time main quarterfinalist and former world No. 30, openly wondered in an ESPN interview if her trademark pleasant demeanor had truly been a hindrance on the court docket.
“There’s undoubtedly part of me that was like, ‘Oh, possibly if I used to be more durable and did not have that nicest-girl-on-tour status, possibly I might have gained extra matches,'” Rogers stated, earlier than deciding she had no regrets and was proud that she had remained her genuine self.
However that has not been an issue for Alcaraz. Not on the US Open, nor anyplace all through his profession. He is gained 22 ATP titles, and Tuesday marked his 268th victory on tour.
Alcaraz can, and normally does, beat anybody, on any given day — sometimes with a large smile on his face. Whereas definitely not requiring the identical degree of focus as the primary draw, Alcaraz was seen eagerly chatting with Jessica Pegula, an opponent within the blended doubles draw, simply moments earlier than they have been to stroll out on court docket for his or her first-round match.
It is his enthusiasm and pleasure that appears to endear him to followers, and maybe even be central to what he is been capable of obtain.
“I feel the enjoyable for Alcaraz is a serious a part of his success,” stated Mary Joe Fernandez, former world No. 4 and present ESPN analyst, earlier than the beginning of the event. “The best way that he can smile, not simply when he wins some extent, however when the opposite opponent performs an awesome level, he is capable of clap, [and] benefit from the second as properly.
“I consider in Cincinnati there was a giant level the place his coach informed him, ‘Smile, have enjoyable.’ It relaxes him. I feel you see the enjoyment that he takes from all the chances he has in his recreation. He has a lot creativity, a lot selection.”
However even in defeat, he stays gracious, and that is one thing his friends respect as properly. After falling to Sinner in 4 units throughout the Wimbledon last in July — his first loss with a Slam title on the road — Alcaraz sat in his chair with a smile on his face and applauded as Sinner went to rejoice along with his crew in his field. Moments later, Alcaraz congratulated Sinner throughout his on-court interview and stated he was “simply actually blissful” for his rival — and for the “actually good relationship” the 2 had off the court docket. He then thanked him for making him a greater participant.
Sinner responded by thanking Alcaraz for being “the participant you might be” and for his or her “wonderful relationship.”
All through his run to date in New York, Alcaraz has been dominant, and was the one man to achieve the quarterfinals with out dropping a set. On Tuesday, he reached the ninth main semifinal of his profession — becoming a member of simply Nadal, Boris Becker, Mats Wilander and Björn Borg to attain that milestone earlier than his twenty third birthday.
Alcaraz at present has the second-best odds, solely barely behind Sinner, of profitable the US Open, in line with ESPN Wager. He’ll subsequent play the winner of Tuesday evening’s conflict between Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in a semifinal on Friday. Whereas his sights are most definitely on securing his sixth main title, and second in New York, Querrey would not assume any consequence would dramatically alter a lot for Alcaraz.
He believes Alcaraz will seemingly stay the identical energetic and playful man nearly everybody on tour has come to like.
“Extra importantly than something, he is only a good human,” Querrey stated. “I feel it is simply in his DNA, it is who he’s. I feel it is also partly due to the outstanding folks round him as properly, his dad and mom, his brokers, [his coach] Juan Carlos Ferrero, that encourage this.
“I do know that if I used to be strolling down the hallway with my son and we noticed him and requested for an image, he would 100% do it, after which spend a few minutes with him too. Who is aware of, possibly that may change as soon as he is gained 15 majors and the strain is completely different, however I feel he’ll nonetheless be the identical man. He simply looks as if he wakes up every single day and loves life, and that power is simply contagious.”
