Emma Raducanu’s visit sees Carlos Alcaraz open up as promise made to new partner
Carlos Alcaraz has spoken out about his mixed doubles partnership with Emma Raducanu, as he vowed to go and watch the British No. 1 in action between now and the US Open
Carlos Alcaraz has expressed his delight at having Emma Raducanu in the stands to support him after reaching the HSBC Championship final. Alcaraz, 22, overcame fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-4, 6-4 to reach the final at Queens.
He will face big serving Czechian Jiri Lehecka on Sunday afternoon at the Andy Murray arena, where a victory would give him the perfect momentum heading into his Wimbledon title defence. The Spaniard had many fans in the crowd cheering him on, including a particularly illustrious one in Raducanu.
A strong friendship is forming between the pair, who recently signed up to play mixed doubles at the US Open together. He also said that he’s an avid follower of the British No. 1. The stylish duo, who have both clinched US Open titles, have been dubbed “Alcaranu” by fans.
Raducanu was spotted cheering from the Queen’s Club balcony alongside Myah Petchey – the daughter of her coach Mark Petchey – as Alcaraz secured victory over Bautista Agut. Following his 17th win on the trot, Alcaraz said: “I saw on social media she came up to watch my match.
“I’m just glad. I mean, I was focused on the match. I didn’t see her afterwards. I am just glad that she came to support me, to watch my match. Yeah, I think it was great having her in the stands.”
Raducanu is set to compete at the Lexus Eastbourne Open next week, which serves as her last tournament before Wimbledon kicks off. Alcaraz suggested he will do all he can to return the favour and watch Raducanu in action. He said: “It depends on the schedule, obviously. I have practices. I have matches.”
Going further with his promise to Raducanu, he said: “Yeah, I would love to, yeah, if I have time, if I’m at the club or I don’t have anything else to do, yeah, I would love to come and watch her. I’m watching her matches from the TV every time that I can. So watching her for real could be fun.”
Referencing their future venture in doubles, Alcaraz said: “I’m super excited about it. I think it’s going to be great. It was an amazing idea for the tournament. I was thinking that I couldn’t play better if it wasn’t with Emma.
“I just asked Emma if she wants to play doubles with me. Yeah, I made that special request. She took a while to respond. Not that much! But obviously she had to ask, and she had to think a little bit. But it wasn’t a minute!
“I have known Emma for a really long time. I have a really good relationship with her. We are gonna enjoy it for sure. We will try to win. But obviously it’s going to be really, really fun.”
The Spaniard is currently enjoying an 18-match winning streak and is gunning for his fifth straight final. Expressing his love for Queens, Alcaraz added: “It’s great to be back in another final.
“It’s special to play a final here at Queen’s. Yeah, just feeling great. I’m just enjoying my time, my time here. The confidence is pretty high right now. Obviously, as many wins as you get, you’re going to get more confident.
“The way that I’m moving, the way that I’m hitting the ball, I think it’s really high right now. So hopefully tomorrow (Sunday) it’s going to be even better.”
