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Carlos Alcaraz was recently spotted painting lines on a tennis court at the Murcia Club de Tennis, which amused several fans online.
Alcaraz kicked off his 2024 with a quarter-final finish at the Australian Open. Seeded second, the Spaniard defeated Richard Gasquet, Lorenzo Sonego, Shang Juncheng and Miomir Kecmanovic to secure his spot in the final eight at the Melbourne Major.
However, Alcaraz's journey came to an end when he faced off against Alexander Zverev. Despite putting up a valiant fight, the World No. 2 succumbed to Zverev's serving firepower, losing the match 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4.
This defeat not only marked the end of Alcaraz's campaign in Australia but also shattered his hopes of dethroning Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1, at least for now.
Following his defeat at the first Grand Slam of the year, Alcaraz was seen at a tennis academy in his hometown of Murcia, painting lines on a clay court. His coach Juan Carlos Ferrero was also spotted, keeping an eye on his ward.
Several fans were surprised and amused to see Alcaraz painting lines on the tennis court, and they took to social media to express their reactions. One fan jokingly stated that Ferrero must have prompted the 20-year old to go back to 'basics' after losing to Alexander Zverev in Australia.
"JCF saw that Zverev match and said aight aight we’re starting back from the BASICS basics," a fan posted on Reddit.
Another fan expressed that Ferrero, who had previously coached Zverev, did not like seeing Alcaraz lose to the German. The fan playfully insinuated that Ferrero, who had been unable to accompany Alcaraz to Australia due to his recovery from left knee arthroscopy, must have swiftly discarded "his crutches" after the loss and resumed training with the Spaniard.
"Losing a slam match again against his nemesis Zverev was the last straw for JCF because that man threw away his crutches and said “let’s get back to business," the fan posted.
Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:
Carlos Alcaraz to play at Indian Wells Open 2024
Carlos Alcaraz will play at the 2024 Indian Wells Open, where he will look to defend his title. Last year, he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final to win his maiden Indian Wells trophy.
Alcaraz had defeated Thanasi Kokkinakis, Tallon Griekspoor, Jack Draper, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Jannik Sinner to secure a spot in the championship match. He clinched his third ATP Masters 1000 title by defeating Medvedev 6-3, 6-2, which meant that he ended the tournament without dropping a single set.
This win also propelled the Spaniard back to the World No. 1 ranking, surpassing Novak Djokovic.
In addition to his maiden Indian Wells win, Carlos Alcaraz also joined Rafael Nadal as the only player to have won at least three Masters 1000 titles as a teenager.
This year, Alcaraz will be joined by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Iga Swiatek, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, among others at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.
