Carlos Alcaraz continues to impress both on and off the tennis court. The Spanish tennis player has once again shown his clever humor and appears to have a new winning ritual during the ATP Masters 1000 in Toronto.
Following his viral message to Fernando Alonso from Formula 1 by writing on the camera, “Blando, blando, duro. ‘Undercut’ de manual,” a phrase alluding to race tires and a saying popularized by DAZN commentators Pedro de la Rosa and Toni Cuquerella in Spain, the Wimbledon champion has done it again.
This time, the young tennis player,wrote the catchphrase, “You know,” which serves as an inside joke between him and his close friends. It’s a sentence that the athlete often uses when communicating in English with foreign media.
“I wrote that because my friends laugh at me, saying it’s the only thing I say when I speak in English,” the tennis player from Murcia explained with a laugh during an interview with Hispanic Sports Media. He’s said to be currently improving his English skills, but remains very fond of his signature phrase.
The Tennis Letter, a newsletter about the sport, responded to Alcaraz in X/twitter with a simple message: “We do know.”
This new funny ritual comes after a challenging match and victory against Hubert Hurkacz, whom he defeated 3-6, 7-6(2). This win secured him a spot in the quarter-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 in Canada. Next, the 20-year-old will compete against last year’s winner Tommy Paul.
After Carlos Alcaraz’s remarkable victory at this year’s Wimbledon, analysts are drawing resemblances between the prodigious trajectory of the young player and the illustrious career of tennis legend Rafael Nadal. Both athletes rose to prominence before reaching the age of 20, and although one may be nearing retirement, they will both remain influential figures in world the tennis world and a source of pride for Spain.