Andy Murray teases with Wimbledon request after getting one over on Carlos Alcaraz
Carlos Alcaraz will hope to lift the Wimbledon title for the third year in a row this summer, a feat which would see him go ahead of Andy Murray in terms of wins at the Grand Slam
Andy Murray has suggested he's had the upper hand against Carlos Alcaraz – not on the tennis court, but on the golf course.
Young Spaniard Alcaraz, who is set to face Andrey Rublev in a fourth-round clash on the courts of SW19 come Sunday, has been indulging in his love for golf alongside his Wimbledon three-peat attempt.
Having already dispatched Italy's Fabio Fognini, Britain's Oliver Tarvet and Germany's Jan-Lennard Struff, the 22-year-old is now preparing for a showdown with Russia's Rublev. However, it's not just tennis that's been keeping Alcaraz busy; the sensation who shares a passion for golf with Murray, has been hitting the greens as well.
Since hanging up his tennis racket last summer, Murray has developed an obsession with golf, and it seems he's been sharing some rounds with Alcaraz. The pair hit the links before Wimbledon kicked off, and after his victory over Struff, Alcaraz let slip the results of their golfing duel during an on-court interview with Annabel Croft.
With a grin, Alcaraz responded to Croft's probing about the friendly rivalry, saying: "He said to you to ask this question, right? I know, I know, because he beat me that day. But then, a few days later, we played again and I beat him, so it's 1-1. We're tied."
Asked about scheduling another game, Alcaraz added: "Let's see. I love playing golf on my days off. I know he has a busy schedule so I guess I will try to set it up a round again of nine holes. We have to see who wins because we're tied 1-1, so I have to play again, absolutely."
It appears the rubber match happened last Saturday, as hinted by Murray's cheeky update on social media. He wrote on X: "We played the deciding match this afternoon... maybe ask him what happened after the next match," alongside a wink emoji. Meanwhile, on Instagram, he added: "I'll let him tell you the outcome after the next match."
Despite potentially feeling the sting from the golf course loss, Alcaraz is in fine form on the tennis court, extending his winning run to 21 matches. Asked if he was playing the best tennis of his career, the ATP No. 2 said (via the Mirror): "Yeah, I think so.
"It wasn't the best tennis the whole 21 matches that I've won. But I think I maintain myself really, really calm in the tough moments in those 21 matches that I won in a row.
"But yeah, I think I play a really good tennis lately. Really high confidence right now.
"But yeah, as I say many, many times, I think when you approaching the matches, I doing in a really great way, that I'm really happy about. And during those matches I've saved really difficult moments. So I'm going to say that, yeah."