(Video) Carlos Alcaraz shows off hidden talent after withdrawing from Madrid Open

World No.3 Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the Madrid Open because of a hamstring injury he suffered in Barcelona.

(Video) Carlos Alcaraz shows off hidden talent after withdrawing from Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz (via Instagram/ Carlos Alcaraz)

Carlos Alcaraz loves eating, and who doesn’t? In fact, one of his goals in life is to learn more about cooking. In an interview with the ATP Tour back in 2022, Alcaraz revealed that he was fond of pasta, kebabs, and sushi, among others; while his guilty pleasure is pizza.

Back to the present, Alcaraz surprised the fans when appeared on a cooking show where he could be seen making a dish from bread and eggs along with chef David de Jorge. The clip of the same surfaced on social media hours after Alcaraz announced that he wouldn’t be playing in the Madrid Open.

Here’s the video:

Alcaraz pulled himself out of the Madrid Open because of the hamstring injury he suffered during the Barcelona Open final against Holger Rune. The Spaniard, a two-time Madrid Open champion, last won the title in 2023. He will now hope to recover before the Italian Open which he skipped last year due to an injury.

Alcaraz in Barcelona was chasing his second clay-court title of the season following the Monte Carlo Masters which he won for the first time by beating Lorenzo Musetti. Had Alcaraz won that final against Rune, it would have been his third title of the season. Prior to the title in The Principality, the 21-year-old defeated Alex de Minaur to lift his career’s first Rotterdam Open title.

Novak Djokovic reveals what he found harsh about what Carlos Alcaraz said about tennis

Carlos Alcaraz prioritizes happiness over accomplishments. He wants to find joy while playing tennis and doesn’t want it it take complete control over him, and at present, the four-time Grand Slam champion doesn’t know if he has the mindset to become the greatest player in the history of tennis.

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Danny, The Tennis Letter)

In his Netflix documentary Carlos Alcaraz: My Way, he said he doesn’t want to feel like a slave to tennis. Novak Djokovic understands why Alcaraz feels like this but he didn’t like the words the Murcia native used.

I understand that is a little bit of a harsh word to describe the feeling of being locked by the game in some way. The game of life or the game of your profession of this sport. But I do understand why he said it.

Novak Djokovic told reporters

Djokovic holds a 5-3 head-to-head record against Alcaraz and won their last two encounters (in the 2024 Paris Olympics final and the 2025 Australian Open final). He could have set up a semifinal clash with Alcaraz had the latter played the Madrid Open.

It gives you an opportunity to do your work and to be thankful that you are doing something you are passionate about and you are successful in it but at the same time, there is the other side as well. I understand why he said it but maybe he used a bit of a harsh word to describe it.

Novak Djokovic added

In the documentary, Alcaraz also revealed how the heartbreaking defeat to Djokovic in the 2023 French Open semifinal affected him. Alcaraz said that he went to Ibiza just to get ‘wasted’. He partied there for three days following which, he won the Queen’s Club Championships and took revenge on Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, denying him the Calendar Grand Slam.

Alcaraz, who has often complained about the tennis schedule, said taking that time off helped him recharge his batteries. But his team, including coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, was against him going to Ibiza. Ferrero even admitted that he thought it would be hard for him to continue working with him if Alcaraz was not determined. Ferrero joined Alcaraz’s team in 2019 and guided the young gun to four Grand Slam titles and to No.1 rankings.

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