Carlos Alcaraz's bizarre camera message after Italian Open 4R win leaves fans confused

Carlos Alcaraz was seen quoting an inspiring line from the 2006 movie 300, which narrates the tale of the ancient battle of Thermopylae, after his Round of 16 match at the ongoing Italian Open. The Spaniard secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the tournament after securing a 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win against Karen Khachanov.

He turned to the camera to write a message in Spanish that was indicative of his fighter spirit, which he hopes to channel throughout the tournament.

"Las flechas ocultaran el sol, pues lucharemos a la sombra," he wrote.

Translated to English, the line means:

"The arrows will hide in the sun, for we will fight in the shade," a quote from 300.

Some fans were left confused in the comments section of the post, trying to find out a reason as to why Alcaraz might have written that, while others had a lighthearted take on it, with some jokingly dragging Stefanos Tsitsipas into this due to his claims about being philosophical and having a general interest in philosophy.

Others thought this was a great leap from his usual camera lens messages, which often constitute a well-thought-out smiley face.

Here are some of the fan reactions:

"Did he mean Sun for Sinner?" wrote a user.

"In my opinion, this phrase is more of a personal one, and whoever understood it, understood," wrote another supportive fan. (translated from Spanish)

"his literacy origin story," said a fan jokingly.

"I think the fact that he's only 22 saves him. He reminds me of Tsitsipas and his cringe-worthy lines. I hope he matures," posted a user in criticism. (translated from Spanish)

"He went partying with Stefanos's father," wrote a user. (translated from Spanish)

"Very deep," stated a fan in support.

However, Carlos Alcaraz clarified later during his on-court interview that the quote was more of his interpretation of the match, where he pushed through physical struggles to secure the win.

---

Carlos Alcaraz proud of himself after win against Karen Khachanov

Carlos Alcaraz at the Italian Open 2025 - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he felt very fatigued during the match while reflecting on it during his post-match interaction on the court.

"Physically I was struggling a bit. I didn’t have any pain in any part of the body. But it was just tiring. It was tiring," he said.

The tennis star had to withdraw from the Madrid Open due to his physical discomfort and injury struggles, but has been putting up a strong front in Rome so far. He admitted that he was proud of himself for pushing through and getting another win under his belt.

"Really proud of the way I fought for every ball...I think I did pretty well. I just fought. I’m happy about that," he added.

He will be facing Jack Draper in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 14.