Carlos Alcaraz’s younger brother, Jaime, began his campaign at the Madrid Open U-16 tournament with a 6-3, 6-3 win.
Alcaraz was on hand to watch Jaime’s match from one of the outer courts in Madrid, surprising fans with his appearance.
He also had a chat with former Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli before the match.
Carlos Alcaraz told Marion Bartoli he was ready to ‘suffer’ watching his younger brother play
Speaking on Sky Sports during the Madrid Open, Bartoli revealed what Alcaraz had said to her ahead of his brother’s match.
“I talked briefly with him, I asked him a question, ‘Are you nervous when you’re watching?’,” said Bartoli.
He told me: ‘It’s a lot more nerve-racking when you’re watching than playing, so I’m going to sit here and suffer!’”
“That’s exactly the words he used, ‘I’m going to suffer’.”
“But great to see him showing up, and Jaime [Alcaraz] actually won his match, 6-3, 6-3.”
Bartoli added that it can be tough for young players living in the shadow of famous siblings or family members.
“Once we had Nico Godsick, Tony Godsick’s son playing Wimbledon juniors, and all of a sudden Roger [Federer] showed up on the outside court, and the opponent just froze on the spot!” she recalled.
She went on: “It’s always interesting when you have someone in the circle or a part of the family who is so successful; it’s not easy to be the siblings but at the same time he can give you so much advice.
Jaime Alcaraz can learn a lot from his older brother as he looks to follow in the world number two’s footsteps.
Unfortunately for the 14-year-old his Madrid Open U-16 campaign ended on Friday as he lost in straight sets 5-7 3-6.
Alcaraz watches on as his rivals shine in Madrid
Alcaraz has been ruled out for the rest of the clay season due to injury, missing both the Rome Masters and the French Open.
That has opened up opportunities for Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev, who have capitalised on his absence.
Sinner’s strong form at Roland Garros helped him become world number one, a position he’s held onto with another good run in Madrid. Zverev is closing in as well, steadily narrowing the gap to Alcaraz.
Zverev will meet Alexander Blockx in the semi-finals for a spot in the final against Sinner.
Assuming he returns for the grass-court swing, Alcaraz is expected to come back as world number two. How big those gaps are by then remains to be seen…
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