British player Emma Raducanu had to opt out of her mixed doubles match alongside Andy Murray at Wimbledon at the last minute, which has angered many tennis fans in the country as well as those of the 3-time Grand Slam champion across the world. Although Raducanu clarified that she had to because of a wrist injury, the media decided to bring up this topic during Carlos Alcaraz‘s press conference out of nowhere.
The reason behind this was two-fold, with the main one being that Alcaraz and Raducanu have been linked together as a couple by some western media outlets. These rumors were fuelled further by reports that the duo could play mixed doubles together in the near future. But a smart and guileful Alcaraz was able to dodge the question beautifully.
Raducanu suffered from a sore wrist during her match against Lulu Sun, which was a factor in her defeat to the former NCAA champion from New Zealand. The US Open 2021 champion’s injury resulted in Andy Murray’s farewell being an anti-climax because many could not get to see the tennis legend play for one final time at Wimbledon.
So a reporter asked Alcaraz whether he sympathized with Raducanu for having to deal with so much unnecessary controversy since she pulled out of the mixed doubles competition. The men’s singles defending champion acknowledged the situation and accepted that he could understand why fans are upset with this outcome.
But at the same time, the Spaniard defended Raducanu’s decision as a well-wisher, saying that she must have a worthy reason to pull out. He appreciated her for reaching the fourth round of the women’s singles event and finally shut every conjecture by saying that anyone in her position would have probably done the same.
This made the journalist quiet as it looked to be a clever attempt to get a spicy reaction from him to help increase their viewership of the media publication he is working for. But Alcaraz was smart enough to understand it and gave a fitting reply, which has impressed fans tremendously.
Alcaraz’s Press Etiquette Stuns Fans
On X, tennis fans in the comments section of The Tennis Letter’s tweet, blasted the reporter for such a misleading question, which is a clear case of irresponsible journalism.
And how does it concern Carlos?
Why are they asking him that?
— Aadarsh (@AlcarazSzn) July 7, 2024
Why are they asking Carlos Alcaraz this?
Tennis media is something else.
— Cʜᴜᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴜɢʟᴀs ✪ (@ChuckDouglas_) July 7, 2024
Well handled carlos
English PR trying really hard to ship the two
he’s not interested in fraud girl— The Gaming Garage (@TheFunZoneSpot) July 7, 2024
Not at all a setup question written by PR. Totally legit.
— George W. Ford (@GeorgeWFord1) July 8, 2024
The question had nothing to do with Alcaraz, neither his game or nor a major issue that directly affects the sport. While lambasting the media, fans also appreciated Alcaraz for handling the question respectfully. It would’ve been very tempting for anyone else to fall into such a trap.
To his credit, Alcaraz has kept quiet about his personal life. He and Raducanu have maintained that they are good friends and that their bond is special. Instead of looking at this aspect with positivity and highlighting the good side of it, when press conferences look to fetch an attractive headline on a player’s personal life, it loses credibility.
The value of post-match press conferences and media interviews comes under pressure, especially at such a high-profile tournament like Wimbledon. Media houses clearly need to do better, as they have been increasingly called out on social media for such acts.
