Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz has been living his best life since moving into the Olympic Village, taking photos with seemingly any and every athlete who’s asked for one.
The most sought-after collectible in the early days of the Paris Olympics isn’t something you can buy in the official gift shop, nor is it each country’s special, commemorative enamel pin that athletes often trade like currency. It’s a selfie with Carlos Alcaraz.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has been living his best life since moving into the Olympic Village as one of the competition’s most popular attendees, posing and grinning seemingly any and every athlete who’s asked for one, whether they are his compatriot or not.
Some of Alcaraz’s notable snaps have come with Egyptian table tennis prodigy Hana Goda, who at 16 years old is one of the youngest competitors at the Games; a pair of badminton players, Aussie Tiffany Ho and Malaysian Thinaah Muralitharan; and the Dutch national field hockey team, which is the reigning world champion and gold-medal favorite.
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Even people who see Alcaraz every week on tour are getting in on the action. His fellow Spaniard and Paris doubles partner, Rafael Nadal, has made a cameo appearance in more than a few of the snapshots.
But in Andy Murray’s case, the photo with Alcaraz is a scrapbook item for more than one reason. The Scot made it official at the start of the week that the Olympics will be the last tournament of his career, and he will only play doubles with Dan Evans.
“Managed to grab a photo with my favorite athlete,” Murray wrote in an Instagram post of the pair posing in the Village, to which Alcaraz simply replied “Legend.”
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Alcaraz was eagerly awaiting his Olympic debut, going on record more than once about how he hoped to enjoy the experience of mixing and mingling with athletes from others sports, as well as his lofty podium expectations. Beyond social media posts, Alcaraz’s joy has been infectious, even for an Olympic veteran like Nadal.
“It reminds you of when you were 20,” Nadal said in Spain’s pre-event press conference. “It is amazing to see him experience his first Olympic Games knowing that he is one of the star attractions, something he copes with amazingly well.
“He shows what a professional he is in the way he is with teammates, and that is the legacy you leave in sport and for those teammates. He always has a smile and he is happy to talk to anyone. It is great to have role models like him.”
Alcaraz, who became the No. 2 seed behind Novak Djokovic after Jannik Sinner withdrew from the competition ahead of Thursday’s draw due to tonsillitis, will play Lebanon’s Hady Habib (who replaced Hubert Hurkacz) in the opening round. Alcaraz and Nadal are unseeded in doubles, and open against the Argentine pair of Andres Molteni and Maximo Gonzales.
