Carlos Alcaraz’s conduct was questioned by a fellow tennis star who has since lifted the lid on their first meeting. The Spaniard, who recently lost his world No. 1 crown to Jannik Sinner, is preparing for the end-of-year ATP Finals where he will hope to regain his spot at the top of the rankings.
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, meanwhile, ended her season after the US Open and is the current world No. 47. She opened up on her first meeting with Alcaraz, admitting that she was not impressed with his manner on the court, but has since taken a shine to the 22-year-old and changed her mind after meeting him.
“After that [meeting Alcaraz] I really took a liking to Alcaraz,” Pavlyuchenkova told the Box podcast. “Because somehow, well I don’t really know, I didn’t really like his manner, because it seemed to me that he had a bit of a pretence, he smiles all the time.
“I think, ‘How is that possible?’. Well, I compare myself, I have just drama there all the time when I play. I think, ‘How is it possible?’, he smiles at his team all the time it’s too much.”
Alcaraz can often be seen sporting a smile during matches, even when he loses a point or is struggling in the match, most recently during his upset at the hands of Cameron Norrie at the Paris Masters.
The reigning French and US Open champion was full of praise for his British opponent, who claimed a convincing 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory, in what Norrie described as the best win of his entire career.
“I had a lot of practices here, I was feeling great, feeling amazing, moving on the court, hitting the ball,” Alcaraz said after being defeated in the French capital.
“I had all the ideas clear, all the goals clear. But today, even in the first set, that I won, I just felt like I could do much more than what I did.
“I tried in the second set just to be better, but it was totally the opposite. I just felt even worse. I think I have to give credit to Cam, because I think he didn’t let me stay or come back into the match.”
Alcaraz’s comments would have gone down well with Norrie, another fellow pro he is on the good side of, including Pavlyuchenkova, despite her initial concerns about his behaviour behind the scenes.