Carlos Alcaraz Reveals Why He Wore Brazilian Shirt Ahead of Joao Fonseca Miami Clash
Carlos Alcaraz is bidding to win his second title at the Miami Open and his third one of the season.
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Joao Fonseca, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Tiempo De Tenis)
- Carlos Alcaraz begins his Miami Open campaign against Joao Fonseca on March 20.
- He wore a Brazilian jersey to honor the local Latino community and because he likes the shirt.
- Reilly Opelka praised Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner for their personalities during an interview.
Carlos Alcaraz will get his campaign at the Miami Open underway on Friday (March 20). And his opening-round opponent is one other than Joao Fonseca, who beat Fabian Marozsan in the opening round.
Alcaraz will be chasing his third title of the season in the second Masters 1000 of the year, following his triumph at the Australian Open (beat Novak Djokovic) and the Qatar Open (beat Arthur Fils). Ahead of starting his bid for his second Miami Open title, Alcaraz entered the press room donning Brazil’s national jersey. During his interview with ESPN, the Spaniard revealed the reason why he wore the jersey.
Well, about the first one, the truth is that Miami has always been characterized by having lots of Latinos, many Brazilians too. And nothing, actually, this kind of shirt and such is simply because they’re really cool. I can’t deny it, and I like wearing it. If I’m going to play against Fonseca, they’re still playing, we don’t know yet, so we’ll see how that match goes, and then we’ll find out.
Hard Rock Stadium will be one of the venues for the 2029 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico. Alcaraz was asked if Argentina clashes with Spain, which team will be the favorite to win.
I’d love to see that Spain vs. Argentina, or if it ever happens, I’d be glued to the TV, obviously rooting for my own team. Well, everyone roots for their country, that’s normal. But I don’t know who the favorite is, because it’s evenly matched. But it’s a highly contested game, I wouldn’t know who’s going to win. It would be really fun to watch, for sure.
Carlos Alcaraz added
Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in the 2022 Miami Open final in what was also his second appearance in the event. Last year, David Goffin knocked him out in the opening round.
Reilly Opelka praises the personality of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner
Reilly Opelka is also competing in Miami and will be hoping to make a deep run. He has yet to reach a quarterfinal this year and suffered a second-round exit at Indian Wells. After overcoming Nuno Borges in his campaign opener in Miami, he sat for an interview with Tennis Channel during which he praised the personalities of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
Jannik is the man. He’s just a great guy. Jannik and Carlos as well, they are both the nicest guys around. Sinner has always been that way; he hasn’t changed at all. I’ve known him since he was 16, and he’s the sweetest guy, always makes time for everyone. He became the best player on the planet, and nothing changed. I always joke with Sinner and Alcaraz, especially with Carlos, that if I could hit the ball like they do, I’d be smiling all the time.
Reilly Opelka told Tennis Channel
Opelka has set up a second-round match against Jack Draper. Sinner, the Miami Open finalist in 2021 (lost to Hubert Hurkacz) and 2023 (lost to Daniil Medvedev), won the title in 2024 against Grigor Dimitrov.
He will be bidding to complete the Sunshine Doubles as he added the Indian Wells title to his trophy cabinet for the first time by beating Medvedev. It was his first title of the season as he lost to Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinal and to Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinal.
Alcaraz and Sinner will only face each other if they progress to the final. They last clashed in the title match of the 2025 ATP Finals, which Sinner won and improved his head-to-head record to 6-10.
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