Carlos Alcaraz's affable and friendly nature was momentarily disrupted after nearly being hit by a ball at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia.
Alcaraz competed at the Six Kings Slam last week from October 16th to 19th. It was an exhibition event featuring Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
The 21-year-old won his opening match of the exhibition against Rune to set up a semifinal against Nadal, who was almost certainly making his penultimate professional appearance before retiring at the Davis Cup Finals next month.
Alcaraz defeated his idol in straight sets to progress to the final. However, he and Nadal will likely play doubles together at the Davis Cup Finals after doing so at the Olympics.
Jannik Sinner then met Alcaraz for the fourth time this season, having lost to the Spaniard in their previous three meetings in 2024. But the world No. 1 got the better of Alcaraz this time, triumphing 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Six Kings Slam.
That defeat meant Alcaraz missed out on the largest paycheck in tennis history: $6 million. The match may have been an exhibition event, but playing for such riches guaranteed that both men would give everything to win.
Despite losing, their respective comments afterward demonstrated the positive relationship shared by the pair. Alcaraz said he is grateful to have Sinner in the sport and that he pushes him to improve.
Sinner revealed he and Alcaraz are good friends but not "the best of the best." Still, the fact they are friends is nice to see, and it starkly contrasts with many other rivalries in tennis history.
Alcaraz dealt with the defeat to Sinner well and looked to be in positive spirits afterward, but a clip has emerged of the two-time Wimbledon champion getting annoyed by the actions of one fan.
As seen in the video below, Alcaraz greets his father in the crowd. He then shakes hands with a few others who have gathered around him and clearly does not expect what happens next.
A ball flew near the Spaniard and only narrowly avoided hitting him. Alcaraz turned in the direction of where the ball was directed and stared at someone in the crowd.
The four-time Grand Slam champion put his hand out in exasperation while looking at the crowd members, asking them nonverbally what they were doing before returning his attention to others who had gathered.
It is always great when players get close to the fans and allow them to meet their heroes, but unfortunately, a small minority often try to ruin the experience for others.
Another example occurred at the Shanghai Masters when Grigor Dimitrov was tripped by a fan while walking past. That led to a tense exchange with the Bulgarian, who pointed and told the person not to do that again.
If fans want players to be generous with their time, it needs to be reciprocated with respect when interacting with them.