In pictures: Carlos Alcaraz visits Real Madrid locker room, meets up with Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema, coach Carlo Ancelotti and others

Carlos Alcaraz watched Carlo Ancelotti's side defeat Elche before paying a visit to the Real Madrid locker room on Wednesday.

Alcaraz, a Los Blancos fan, congratulated the winners in the dressing room and was also photographed with Karim Benzema, coach Ancelotti, and several other players.

Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema had a goal disallowed in the sixth minute of the game, but went on to score the second for his side in the 75th minute after Federico Valverde opened the scoring for the visitors in the 11th minute.

Marco Asensio scored a third goal with a minute of play remaining to help Real Madrid fashion a 3-0 win which put them six points clear of second-placed Barcelona in the La Liga points table.

With nine wins and a draw, Real Madrid head the league standings with 28 points while Barcelona, who have a match in hand, have 22 points.

Brazilian star Rodrygo Goes was all smiles as he posed alongside the 2022 US Open champion, who has had an incredible tennis season.

The World No. 1 was also photographed alongside another Brazilian and Real Madrid star Vinicius Juniour.

“It is a source of pride that a great Madridista like you wins his first Grand Slam and is the youngest world number 1 in history" - Real Madrid to Carlos Alcaraz after US Open

The affinity between Carlos Alcaraz and Real Madrid was evident immediately after the Spaniard's US Open win. The club lauded the 19-year-old, who won his first Grand Slam at the 2022 US Open, via a statement on social media.

Alcaraz won titles in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona and Madrid ahead of the US Open. The Spaniard, who defeated Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev at the Madrid Masters, went down to Zverev in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros but came into his own at the US Open.

The youngster created history by becoming the youngest World No. 1 in the history of the game after defeating Ruud, who was also in the running for the top spot in the ATP rankings ahead of the final.

By virtue of his title win in New York, Alcaraz also became the youngest Grand Slam champion since Rafael Nadal, who won the 2005 French Open immediately after turning 19.

About the author

Subhashish has been an Indian sports journalist at Sportskeeda since 2017. He primarily covers hockey along with other Indian Sports, and endeavors to bridge the coverage gap between the multitude of Indian sports and cricket via his articles. Subhashish’s interest in Indian sports peaked after watching a few hockey and football matches live during his childhood days, and has also played Hockey, Football, Table Tennis, Badminton at school and college level.

As a journalist, he covered every single Indian hockey match at the 2018 & 2022 Commonwealth Games, 2018 & 2023 Asian Games, 2018 Women's World Cup, 2018 & 2023 Men’s World Cup and the 2021 Olympics. An interview specialist, he has conducted over 100 interviews with the Indian Men's and Women's Hockey team, and has also been part of the UK-based DesiSportsCast Podcast.

Subhashish’s favorite Indian athlete is Vandana Katariya for her relentlessness and never-say-die attitude. For him, India men's hockey team's 7-1 win over Pakistan in 2017 Hockey World League semis on the same day as India men's cricket team's loss to the same opponent in the Champions Trophy final is an iconic moment in Indian Sports history.

When not writing, he likes to spend his free time blogging, singing, jogging, and trekking.

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