“That’s all I was thinking about,” Carlos Alcaraz breaks his thoughts after beautiful showmanship with Gael Monfils as Neymar, Juan Del Potro, and Jimmy Butler sat in the audience

Carlos Acaraz remains undefeated, as the World No. 2 made his way to the third round of the ongoing 2024 Miami Open. 

“That’s all I was thinking about,” Carlos Alcaraz breaks his thoughts after beautiful showmanship with Gael Monfils as Neymar, Juan Del Potro, and Jimmy Butler sat in the audience

Carlos Alcaraz with Neymar and Jimmy Buttler (Image via ATP Tour)

Carlos Alcaraz is back to his old self, where he would make his opponents run for the money. The 20-year-old clinched his first title since the 2023 Wimbledon championships at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals in Miami after beating Frenchman Gael Monfils in the fourth round. 

The Spaniard registered a dominant win over the showman of tennis, and that too in front of some superstars. Brazilian football star Neymar, veteran tennis ace Juan Del Potro, and American basketball star Jimmy Butler were present at the Miami Tennis Gardens to watch the contest between Alcaraz and Monfils.

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While Alcaraz looked unfazed by the presence of these superstars, the Spaniard admitted that he was thinking about those people during the match. The 20-year-old said that seeing these stars in the stands, he felt the urge to elevate his level of tennis a bit.

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A little bit, I'm not gonna lie. Seeing them watching my game, obviously it's, let's say, some motivation for me just to raise the level, try to make them enjoy watching my game. You know, that's all I was thinking about, but I obviously had to be focused on the match. I had to bring my own tennis to the match, and I think I did it pretty well. Hopefully, they enjoyed.
Carlos Alcaraz said in a post match interview

Carlos Alcaraz is on his way to completing Sunshine Double

Although Carlos Alcaraz thought about the presence of the superstars in the stands during his match against Gael Monfils, the Spanish ace was little bothered as the two-time Grand Slam champion beat Monfils in straight sets. Despite a late surge from the French veteran, Alacaraz beat Monfils 6-2, 6-4.

Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz (Image via IMAGO)

With this win, the Spanish ace moved closer to completing the Sunshine Double. As Alcaraz won the title in Indian Wells, he stands a chance to achieve this feat and get his name etched in the history books.

Only a few players in tennis have been able to achieve this unique feat in the sport. To be precise, a total of 11 players have managed to complete the Sunshine Double. While seven men’s tennis players have achieved this feat, only four women’s stars have completed the Sunshine Double.

In the men’s event, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have managed to do it more than once. While Federer has done it thrice (2005, 2006, and 2017), Djokovic has done it four times (2011, 2014, 2015, and 2016). Alcaraz will become the eighth men’s tennis star if he manages to achieve this feat this year. 

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