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How Carlos became King of the Court: Alcaraz's glow-up from fresh-faced teen to tennis ace as star worth £30m flies his barber around the world and charms Wimbledon fans with polished English

How Carlos became King of the Court: Alcaraz's glow-up from fresh-faced teen to tennis ace as star worth £30m flies his barber around the world and charms Wimbledon fans with polished English

Daily Mail​7 hours ago
When Carlos Alcaraz raced to get a bottle of water to help a spectator ailing in the soaring heat on the first day of play at Wimbledon on Monday, he was cheered like a hero.
The world number two later piled on yet more charm when he replied to the stricken lady's daughter on social media.
When she penned a note thanking the charismatic Spanish tennis star for his actions in running to get her mother a drink from his personal coolbox, she added that she suspected he wouldn't see the post...and then he promptly replied to it.
Piling on the charm, he wrote back in the exchange on X: 'You're very welcome, it was nothing! I hope your mum is doing well. Send her a kiss from me and take good care of her!' followed by a love heart emoji.
If Alcaraz - said to have a personal fortune of £30 million thanks to his prowess with a tennis racket and lucrative deals with major brands including Rolex and Calvin Klein - already knew how to work the crowd on court, he's seemingly getting better at it in real life too.
When he's playing, his army of fans, particularly present at the All England club, is very much behind him.
When the two-time Wimbledon winner struggled with his opener, he was met with cries of 'Vamos Carlito! Come on Alcaraz!' ringing around Centre Court, after 38-year-old Fognini pushed him to five challenging sets.
The once awkward teenager who used to thank supportive spectators in broken English has been long since been kicked into the long grass, with Alcaraz charming the public in the way his idol Roger Feder er once did.
As he racks up more tournament wins, his English has become increasingly polished too, with the tennis star now dabbling in German, Italian and French too.
The player, who this week announced he's asked British tennis belle Emma Raducanu to partner with him in the doubles at the upcoming US Open, has enjoyed an image overhaul too in recent years.
So careful is the Spanish pro about his hair these days that he jets in his personal barber, Victor Martinez, to tame his locks wherever he's playing.
At this year's tournament he's sporting a carefully cut matinee idol look with a floppy fringe.
The Spanish tennis star also hasn't been afraid to show off his athletic physique, posing for Calvin Klein in 2023 wearing their famously brief briefs.
Other endorsement deals include collaborations with BMW, Rolex and Nike, making him one of the hottest properties in sport - and the world of dating.
While Emma Raducanu rebuffed suggestions that she was dating her new doubles partner off court, she responded to the romance rumours, smiling and telling reporters: 'We're just good friends.'
The interview moderator then cut off further questions, prompting Raducanu to laugh and remark: 'Way to wrap up!'
The two US Open champions - Raducanu won in 2021, Alcaraz a year later - are good friends, growing up together on the tour.
However, the small matter of a Calvin Klein photoshoot that same year put Carlos Alcaraz in a new light and the tennis star has netted multiple high-end lucrative endorsement deals since
Groomed: The 22-year-old, who is going for his third Wimbledon title at SW19 this week, jets in his personal barber, Victor Martinez, to cut his hair
Single: Alcaraz during a practice session on day two of the 2025 Wimbledon Championships
'He's so nice, very happy, amazing values and just a really positive light to be around,' said Raducanu about Alcaraz when asked how their bond began.
'I've known him for years. Wimbledon 2021 was the first time I started getting to know him.
'He was always playing the day before me, I would see him win and then I would have motivation to win and get myself into that position too.
'It was really cool to go through that tournament together and then I kept going through the US Open, we were staying in touch for the whole time and, yeah, it's nice.
'We have a good relationship still. He's obviously overtaken me a lot, but it's nice that we have that from a while ago.'
Alcaraz hasn't worn his heart on his sleeve when it comes to dating, keeping his private life away from the media glare, although he did tell The Sunday Times last year that romance wasn't easy to come by as a pro player.
He confirmed in July 2024, he was 'single', saying: 'I am looking for someone. It can be difficult as a tennis player to meet the right person because you are traveling all the time.'
Hailing from the small town of El Palmar, down the coast from the sunny city of Alicante, Alcaraz became the youngest Number One in the history of the current ranking system at aged just 20.
He's the second of four sporty boys born to devoted dad Carlos and mum Virginia, who was, until two years ago, a shop assistant at IKEA.
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