"ATP players watching more women's tennis than women" – Fans in awe as Carlos Alcaraz reveals he watched Maria Sharapova 'a lot' growing up

Tennis fans were delighted to see young Carlos Alcaraz meet Maria Sharapova on the sidelines of the Canadian Open in Toronto.

The reigning Wimbledon champ was clicked with Sharapova during the latter's recent visit to Canada. Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals after defeating Poland's Hubert Hurkacz on Thursday, August 10, during the National Bank Open and will face Tommy Paul next.

The Spaniard's previous year's outing in Canada ended quickly as he crashed out in the early stages of the competition. However, Alcaraz is looking good to make a deep run in the tournament this year on the back of his success at SW19.

Whether he takes home the trophy or not, Alcaraz's fans will remember this week for the youngster's meeting with Sharapova. Not just for the fans, it was a memorable night for Alcaraz as well, who said after the meet:

“I watched a lot of her matches. She was probably one of the best players in the world. I was in shock. I didn’t expect her to be in Toronto. I wondered, is this Maria? It was great to meet her. Talking with her was really nice.”

Tennis fans took to Twitter and posted amusing comments to Alcaraz's statement. One of the fans wrote:

"I think someone is in Love."

One user demanded the Spaniard try to bring Sharapova out of retirement.

"Please encourage her to return to the tour okay. That will be great Carlos," the user wrote.

Another fan appreciated the World No. 1 for acknowledging Sharapova's greatness and wrote:

"He knows who the queen is."

Another user pointed out how rare it was for a male players to show more interest in women's tennis than female players themselves.

"ATP player watching more women’s tennis than the women themselves," the user tweeted.

Here are a few more tweets:

"Carlos Alcaraz ignites the crowd every time he sets foot on the field" - Maria Sharapova

Maria Sharapova showered praise on Carlos Alcaraz in a recent interview, with the five-time Grand Slam winner being impressed by how the Spaniard keeps the crowd engaged while he plays.

“Carlos Alcaraz is incredible. What fascinates me most about him is his fighting spirit on every point. 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," she said.

She further mentioned that the 20-year-old is developing his own style of play, saying:

“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."

About the author

Ayush is a passionate and driven tennis journalist who wrote for Sportskeeda from July 2023 to March 2025. Before joining Sportskeeda, he worked as a sub-editor at The Tribune. Armed with a Master's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he seamlessly blends the art of multitasking into his routine.

With over 1,300 articles penned for Sportskeeda, his work has garnered over 9 million reads in a short span. He covered the 2025 Australian Open and Adelaide International from the ground. He prioritizes accuracy and rigorous fact-checking, and keeps abreast of tennis news through social media while also ensuring he steers clear of unconfirmed speculation and rumors.

A lifelong Novak Djokovic fan, Ayush admires how the Serb doesn't always conform to the "idealistic" image expected of tennis stars. To him, Djokovic's versatility across all surfaces cements his status as the undisputed GOAT. Since his pre-teen days, he has loved Wimbledon, and the tournament never fails to "bring out the kid inside him".

Know More

Edited by Shyam Kamal