Carlos Alcaraz is the top-ranked male tennis player in the world, and as such is arguably the leading ambassador for the sport.
After all, there are arguably few players as popular as him on the ATP Tour, and as such, his words carry far more weight.
Therefore, when he does speak out, it has to be measured and well-thought-out to ensure that the sport remains unaffected by his comments.
However, on this occasion, his complaint was directly aimed at tennis and its practises within the media.
Carlos Alcaraz speaks out on issue Coco Gauff recently complained about
Speaking to a reporter during his Monte Carlo media day, the Spaniard was asked about player privacy.
This has been a particularly hot topic ever since Coco Gauff complained after she was filmed behind the scenes at the Australian Open, captured decimating her racket after a loss.
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Discussing this phenomenon of total access for the cameras, Carlos Alcaraz admitted: “For the fans, it’s great. They love to see behind the scenes, what we do, what the facilities look like inside the tournaments. But for the players, it’s a little weird, because we don’t really have a place to relax anymore, because we think all the time that there are cameras and that everyone is watching us.”
He continued: “Having very close cameras, which can see what we are looking at on our phone, I think it’s too much. We already don’t have much privacy in tournament, and I think that’s too much. We should have spaces where we can be quiet without being filmed.”
It is an opinion that might cause some unrest amongst followers of the sport, but it’s refreshing to see the world number one speak out on issues he feels are important. He is such a phenomenal character to lead the sport forward.
Boris Becker praises Carlos Alcaraz for standing up for tennis players
Boris Becker could not have been more proud of Alcaraz’s defiant stance, and took to X to laud the 22-year-old.
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He would write: “Finally someone ( world Nr 1…) speaks up about the players’ total loss of privacy at tournaments!
“We wouldn’t have allowed it in my days !”
The final line of Becker’s statement highlights the ever-changing nature of the sport, as it desperately tries to toe the line between greater behind-the-scenes access to grow tennis and giving the players the space needed to feel comfortable.
