Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur have completely different personalities and styles of play. However, based on their recent comments in an interview, the two will be surprised to learn that there are three big similarities that they share.
Alcaraz and de Minaur are two of the brightest young talents on the ATP Tour. While they represent different countries, it is interesting to learn that both of them have lived in and trained in Alicante for a few years before they turned professional on the Tour.
Alcaraz did so at the Ferrero Tennis Academy where his now-coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero first spotted and groomed him. On the other hand, de Minaur trained in Alicante under Adolfo Gutierrez, who is also a former Spanish tennis player like Ferrero.
Both the youngsters have retained their coaches till date, showing their respect for them and the comfort levels they share with each other.
The two right-handed players have one more on-court feat in common. Both of them have defeated Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at least once in their careers.
Alcaraz got the better of Rafa during the Madrid Open 2022 quarterfinals and has defeated Djoko on two occasions – Madrid Open 2022 semifinals & Wimbledon 2023 finals. On the other hand, the Aussie defeated the World No.1 at the United Cup 2024 and clinched a win against Nadal twice – United Cup 2023 & Barcelona Open 2024.
In the latest video posted by ATP Tour’s official social media handles, both of them also wished to have the same alternate career. Apart from giving a huge thumbs up to the American TV show Suits, they revealed their desire of wanting to be lawyers.
“I would love to be a lawyer. That’s probably got a lot to do with ‘Suits’, watching ‘Suits’ and watching Harvey Specter. I don’t know how I would go with all the studying, if I could get away without the studying part, then I’m sure I would choose being a lawyer,” Alex said.
“Lawyer. I watched a series and you know after watching it I was like if I wasn’t a tennis player, I would love to be a lawyer. ‘Suits’ is the name,” Alcaraz said.
Well, Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur do know how to make a strong case for themselves with the tennis racket and words, something which many journalists would be aware of. The duo is considered as the future of the sport and they are aware of each other’s game and performances.
Carlos Alcaraz Has Previously Commended Alex De Minaur
Carlos Alcaraz and Alex de Minaur aren’t exactly the best of friends on the ATP Tour. However, having faced each other twice in the past two years, they share a considerable amount of mutual respect.
Ahead of the Australian Open 2024, the Spaniard predicted “Demon” to have a Cinderella run into the second week of the Grand Slam. Speaking about the improvements made by the then-24-year-old, Carlos said, per ABC News:
“He’s [a] really, really good player. He’s in a really good shape. He has beaten Novak a few weeks ago. He has beaten big guys in the United Cup. I think he’s coming to Australian Open with a lot of confidence. I think he’s a player to look [at] this tournament. I think he’s going to reach final rounds.”
While de Minaur has never defeated Alcaraz in an official ATP Tour match so far, the Australian did beat him in a charity one at the Australian Open. So both the players also do have a strong desire to give back to society in their youth itself.
Alex de Minaur will be playing next at the Italian Open 2024 while it is most likely that Carlos Alcaraz will directly participate in the French Open 2024.
