Carlos Alcaraz Scared of Hateful Messages and Vowed Never to Check Social Media After Early Exits

Carlos Alcaraz knocked out Adam Walton to schedule a second-round clash with compatriot Jaume Munar at the Queen's.

Carlos Alcaraz Scared of Hateful Messages and Vowed Never to Check Social Media After Early Exits

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/We Are Tennis)

Even Carlos Alcaraz struggles to cope with the abusive messages he receives on social media. After winning his first-round match at the Queen’s Club Championships against Adam Walton, Alcaraz said that he has learned to not look at social media after early exits.

The betting industry has increased the hateful messages players get from fans. In a first season-wide report on social media abuse by the WTA and ITF, it was revealed that 15 accounts were escalated to law enforcement agencies. The WTA and ITF have urged the betting industry to be more proactive in tackling angry bettors.

Alcaraz too admitted that abusive messages affect him a great deal. At the press conference after his first-round win, the Spaniard said the offensive messages on social media are sometimes hard to deal with.

There are some very tough messages. I’m not going to exactly mention a message sent to me here, but they can be very ‘heavy,’ and some even make you afraid. Obviously, when you lose, you receive many messages. Some are quite good; others are pretty bad. I prefer not to dwell on that. I learned that when I lose, I shouldn’t look at social media as much.

Alcaraz will next face Jaume Munar against whom, he holds a 2-1 head-to-head lead. They will be locking horns for the first time on grass. Before setting up the clash with the five-time Grand Slam champion, Munar received a walkover from Jordan Thompson.

Carlos Alcaraz makes his feelings known on playing at Queen’s after WTA events

Women’s events at the Queen’s Club Championships returned for the first time since 1973. Germany’s 37-year-old Tatjana Maria, knocked out three top 20 players, including Amanda Anisimova to clinch her career’s first WTA 500 title.

Carlos Alcaraz (6)
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Tennis Panorama News)

One of the discussions regarding the tournament was the conditions of the courts. The grass courts can slow down after overuse but Carlos Alcaraz, who is chasing his fourth title on the surface, didn’t have any difficulties. When asked about it at the press conference, he said:

It’s quite good, obviously last year and the year before, it was quite different because, you know, the girls didn’t play the first week. So on grass, the less you touch the grass, the better. But honestly, I found the court quite good. Quite fast, obviously.

Alcaraz lifted the Queen’s title in 2023 by beating Alex de Minaur. Last year, however, Britain’s Jack Draper knocked him out in the second round.

The five-time Grand Slam, the winner of 11 clay-court titles, has so far lifted one Queen’s and two Wimbledon trophies on the surface. He won his first grass-court Major in 2023 by ruining Novak Djokovic‘s Calendar Slam dream with a five-set victory.

Last year, the 22-year-old denied the 24-time Grand Slam champion his historic 25th Major by beating him in straight sets. Alcaraz is also chasing his fifth title of the season at Queen’s.

He became a winner at the Rotterdam Open for the first time and after losing three tournaments without making the final, Alcaraz reached the finals of every clay-court tournament he played, losing just the Barcelona Open final to Holger Rune. He ended the clay swing by defending his French Open title after a thrilling five-set battle with his arch-rival Jannik Sinner, who is participating at the Halle Open to defend his title.

If Alcaraz reaches the final, he could set up a clash with Draper whom he beat in the quarterfinals of this year’s Italian Open but lost when they met in the Indian Wells semifinal. Draper went past Jenson Brooksby to schedule a second-round clash with Alexei Popyrin.

Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Believes He Doesn’t Have Any “Mental Advantage” over Arch-Rival Jannik Sinner