Carlos Alcaraz may be one of tennis’ biggest and brightest stars right now, but it seems like his heart is firmly with golf.
After all, his recently formed love for the sport has seen him pictured playing with plenty of big-name athletes whenever he gets a spare moment.
Golf is often the natural transition for retiring tennis players, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray having both taken up the sport in recent years.
However, to see Alcaraz, who is still in the peak of his career, so enthralled, makes him an outlier.
When Carlos Alcaraz met Rory McIlroy
What makes this story even more ironic is how starstruck the Spaniard seemed when he got the opportunity to meet one of his contemporary golfing heroes: Rory McIlroy.
Speaking at the US Open just last year, during an event which he would go on to win, Alcaraz admitted: “It was the first time that I met him. It was such an honour. I just admire him a lot. I’m just a huge fan of golf.”
He then recalled the first time they ever spoke: “The last day of the Masters, I just won Monte Carlo, and in my celebration, I was with the phone, cheering on him, supporting him. It was an unbelievable experience for me meeting him and [having] a chance to talk a little bit with him.
“As a person, he seems [like] a really good guy, a really close person. As an athlete, he has shown what he is capable of doing, his swing, his golf. It’s just amazing to watch his golf. So I just admire him a lot.”
Carlos Alcaraz explains his love for golf
Also in 2025, Alcaraz was asked where his love for golf had come about.
He was more than happy to answer, claiming: “I started to play at the beginning of 2020. I just love playing.
“I used to go to hit some balls in the driving range when I was really, really young. I liked it, but since 2020, I just started to play more, to go on the course, to play some holes. I just fell in love with golf.
“I started to play more and more. I saw myself improving, so it engaged me even more with golf, and it has me. I just feel really peaceful when I go out and play some golf on the golf course.”
He concluded by sharing his handicap, adding: “My handicap right now is 14. It’s getting down, but it takes time. I mean, for me it’s a privilege to have time to play some golf, to be honest.”
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