A young woman posted a video on TikTok that ended up in the New York Post with over a million views. "How sad to see him so nervous in my city," one comment said. "People have no class or respect for his boundaries. What the heck are they doing! The woman in red can go to hell," added another. "They could have given him more space and respected him a bit," concludes the last. Never before had Carlos Alcaraz been seen so uncomfortable with fans.
In the early days of the US Open, before his debut, the Spaniard went out one night from his hotel in the city, the Lotte New York Palace, and headed with his entire team to dine at a nearby restaurant, Osteria Delbianco. It was right in the center of Manhattan, 51st and Madison Avenue, in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral, but the journey was only about 200 meters and he should have been able to do it without any problem. If someone had asked for a selfie along the way, he would have surely taken it. But as soon as he stepped onto the street, everything became extremely complicated.
The first photo request was followed by another, and then another, and then another until he had to stop at a traffic light. Then the phones came out, dozens of people demanded his attention, and finally, Alcaraz felt overwhelmed. Perhaps for the first time in his career, he politely asked to be left alone. His manager, Albert Molina, stood behind him to protect him; his physical trainer, Alberto Lledó, called for calm to the fan in red - the one who could "go to hell"; and his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, a former tennis number one, was amazed. "Okay, that's enough, thank you, good night," Molina said as the whole group hurried to reach the restaurant as soon as possible. The scene made it clear: Alcaraz can no longer walk the streets.
"This year we have noticed quite a bit that he is becoming more well-known worldwide. I think the rivalry with Jannik [Sinner] and those spectacular finals have contributed to this. I suppose the social media aspect also increases his ability to reach people from all over," Ferrero stated on Wednesday to the Spanish press, and Alcaraz himself, who faces Novak Djokovic in the tournament semifinals on Friday (9:00 PM, Movistar), acknowledged the change: "This year I feel that more people recognize me on the street. I get stopped more often and can't walk as freely as I would like, but here, at the tournament, I always receive very pleasant affection." That's his duality. Despite the constant noise in the stands, at the US Open, Alcaraz feels comfortable, people love him, he celebrated his first Grand Slam and his first rise to number one here, but off the court, he is uncomfortable. He has discovered that he is a global celebrity and that, at times, can be a nuisance.
New York, the most stressful place
In most places, tennis players are well protected, close to the club where they play, away from crowds, but in New York, that is impossible. There are many people everywhere, and everyone knows him. In Paris, he can go for a walk in a forest, even in the Gardens of Versailles, without being bothered; in Wimbledon, he stays in a cottage next to the All England Club, and the calm is absolute; here, he is in the epicenter of chaos. Every day, when he returns from playing, he encounters fans in the hotel parking lot, and in restaurants, they even take videos of him eating.
At Osteria Delbianco, for example, they took photos of him while chatting with Jannik Sinner, who happened to be dining there as well, and then TikToks around their table. There were his gnocchi with a bit of ragù and a fish with potatoes. Days later, he was at the Japanese restaurant Zuma, where he met Taylor Fritz, and again, there were images taken.
The traffic in the city is always a nuisance; every day he needs an hour to go and another hour to return from the US Open, but he has no choice but to rely on a car if he wants to go unnoticed. It's the price to pay for success and for a fame that can only continue to grow. If he defeats Djokovic on Friday, even more so if he faces Sinner again in the final on Sunday, his popularity worldwide will only increase more and more.