From the moment Carlos Alcaraz took his first steps inside Madrid’s Caja Mágica this year, the level of expectations and attention resting on his shoulders was immense. His achievements as a teenager had already commanded so much attention, but in the absence of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic he was, on home soil, the show.
Throughout the fortnight at the Madrid Open, Alcaraz could not train without lines of spectators surrounding his court, who also demanded lengthy autograph sessions of him each time he walked from the practice courts to the locker room. The stadium was filled for every match he played and with an array of Spanish athletes and celebrities who waited afterwards for photographs with him outside the player lounge.
