Carlos Alcaraz enjoys having big stars watch him play because he believes it helps him improve his tennis level.
Alcaraz had a tremendous time against Gael Monfils at the 2024 Miami Open, navigating that matchup rather easily in two sets. Many people assumed that it would be complicated for the Spaniard because the Frenchman had been playing at a really high level recently, but it wasn't.
Alcaraz largely cruised, and only a late break by Monfils made the second set more respectable, a 6-4 instead of a 6-2. After the match, Alcaraz reflected on having some big star names like Jimmy Butler and Neymar watch him play.
As he explained after the match, he wants to impress, so indirectly, they cause him to play better overall.
"A little bit, I'm not gonna lie. Seeing them watching my game, obviously it's, let's say, some motivation for me just to raise the level, try to make them enjoy watching my game."
"You know, that's all I was thinking about, but I obviously had to be focused on the match. I had to bring my own tennis to the match, and I think I did it pretty well. Hopefully they enjoyed."
It's not a unique experience for Alcaraz alone. Many athletes enjoy seeing fellow colleagues watch them play, and in some ways, it drives some competitiveness as well.
The 20-year-old wants to show himself in the best possible light, but that emotion comes also because he is a competitive person.
It's part of who he is, and it's why he's one of the best athletes in the world. The friendship between Carlos Alcaraz and Jimmy Butler has been pretty interesting to observe.
Butler famously watched Alcaraz's Wimbledon final despite time zones making the match rather late in the place where he was staying at the time.
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