Carlos Alcaraz is seldom referred to by his given first name, and he has now disclosed that he goes by a self-given nickname.
The Wimbledon champion is known as ‘Carlitos’ to his friends and the Spanish tennis community always addresses him by that name.
He was asked about the name in a press conference in China and explained how he has become known by a name that is not his own.
“I don’t know honestly (smiling),” he said. “Probably is depending on the part of Spain that you are.
“Since I was little, I’ve always been called Carlitos. All my close people call me Carlitos since I was very, very young.”
He then revealed he has a nickname of his now that he uses to describe himself, which is very different to what you might expect to find in Spain.
“I call myself Charlie. It was kind of different,” he confirmed. “I don’t know. I don’t mind if some people call me Carlitos or Charlie.
“Just depending on the part of the world, Spain, I don’t know, that you are.”
Alcaraz also spoke about the importance of family in his life, with his brother travelling with him to China where he is playing in Beijing and Shanghai over the next couple of weeks.
“For me it’s really important to have my family with me. I’m lucky to be able to bring part of my family with me around the world,” he continued.
“I’m traveling the whole year. I don’t spend as much time as I want at home with them. Knowing I have part of home, part of my family here with me, it’s a little bit easier to stay well during the tournaments in the other part of the world. For me it’s really, really important.
“Obviously at home, taking care of them, staying with them, it’s the people that you can trust the most.
“It’s really important to have a good relationship with them. Especially with me it’s great to have their support during my career.
“You have to be surrounded by great people. I’m a lucky guy to have such a great team. I’m going to say the best team in the tour right now.
“Also my family, my friends are nice persons. For me, it’s really, really important. As I said, doing great in tennis because of the people that I have around.”
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Alcaraz got emotional on court when he spoke about the presence of his brother in his player’s box for the Cincinnati Masters final against Novak Djokovic in August and it is clear that family are important to the Spanish star.
“I have my brother here as well,” he said after an epic defeat against Novak Djokovic in a memorable final.
“It’s great to have you here, supporting me every day. To make me a better person, learning from you as well. Thank you for being with me.”
