A lot of athletes have dabbled in the philosophy of multiple sports to be successful in the one which they are professionals in. A very prominent pipeline has to be basketball and tennis. Friendships or mentorships have been formed because of this like Naomi Osaka and Kobe Bryant along with Rafael Nadal and Pau Gasol among others. A new addition to that list is the inspired Carlos Alcaraz in the middle of his US Open run and Golden State Warriors legend Stephen Curry who just notched a gold medal at the Olympics.
As of the moment, Carlos Alcaraz is through to the second round of the US Open. His next opponent at Arthur Ashe Stadium will be Botic van de Zandschlup. Due to all of this and a hectic Olympics schedule, the Spanish prince of tennis could not see the Warriors legend and Team USA play. He even outlined his dismay upon learning that this workload would not allow him to meet Stephen Curry, via ESPN.
“I couldn’t. I would have loved to come over and watch the USA play basketball, but I couldn’t. You know, the tennis schedule is always so tight, so I couldn’t find the time to go,” Alcaraz declared.
Carlos Alcaraz looks at the Warriors legend for some US Open inspiration
Tennis is one of the rare sports where one can only blame themselves for a botched strategy. All of that pent up frustration usually leads to broken rackets and enraged shrieks in the middle of sets. Alcaraz was not safe from any of this frustration. Before the US Open and after the Olympics, he smashed his racket in the second round of the Cincinnati Open against Gael Monfils. He no longer wants this to happen again and looks to Curry so that he can have more positive emotions during matches.
“I’ve watched him. I watched Stephen Curry play in real life in Miami, and it was a joy. It was a privilege watching him play. I’m trying to do the same things as he’s doing, you know, on the basketball court, but it is difficult. But yeah, probably the same games, same feelings that we try to put joy on games,” he declared.
Alcaraz will have a tough path before reaching a grand slam win at the US Open. He is on the same side of the bracket as Jannik Sinner and will potentially have to overcome Novak Djokovic once again in the finals. Will he notch the positivity of the Warriors legend and get the victory?