Carlos Alcaraz revealed he’d team up with fellow Spaniard Fernando Alonso over any other driver for a doubles match.
Cementing his position as Spain’s newest tennis star, Alcaraz has won three of the sport’s four Grand Slams and recorded his most recent success at the French Open.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain arrives for a press conference after losing his second-round match at the Queen’s Club tennis tournament in London (Pic – EPA/Tolga Akmen)
He survived three championship points to beat Jannik Sinner in an epic five-set encounter to take his major tally to five with only the Australian Open now missing from a Career Grand Slam.
But he’s not the only tenacious Spaniard plying his trade in his chosen sport, with Fernando Alonso counted as one of Formula 1’s best, even at 43 years of age.
Although the double World Champion hasn’t added to his early World titles with his last success in 2006 and his most recent Grand Prix win was in 2013, he’s the one F1 driver Alcaraz would turn to if he needed a doubles partner.
“Definitely Fernando Alonso,” the world No 2 said in an interview with ATP.
“He knows how to play tennis, and I think he would be a great teammate.
“I admire F1 drivers in the world of F1 because it is a team thing. They have to do what the team tells them, and I admire that.
“In tennis, you have to deal with everything by yourself. So you have to put your maximum strength into that.”
Double World Champion Fernando Alonso (Pic – Supplied)
Alcaraz is also set to form a dream partnership with fellow Grand Slam winner Emma Raducanu at the US Open as the pair has been confirmed for the mixed doubles tournament.
But it’s not the first time Alcaraz has talked up his compatriot, letting the world know back in 2023 who he was rooting for in Formula 1.
“33? Soon?”, he wrote on the TV camera following a match victory at the Miami Open.
Quizzed on that, he told ATPTour.com: “I’m rooting for ‘Fer’ to see if he gets his 33rd win in Australia. For me, it is crazy what he is doing at his age.
“He is practically fighting for the Formula 1 World Championship. It is wonderful to have him there.”
Alonso wasn’t able to achieve that victory in Australia, with his wait for number 33 continuing to this day.
But while the results haven’t gone his way in recent years, he can still count Alcaraz amongst his staunch supporters.
“I have to admit that I never had a great interest, but Fernando has made me a fan of Formula 1, he has made me watch the races, he has made me support him. And what better way to support Fernando than with a nod to the camera,” said the reigning world No. 2.
