Carlos Alcaraz was the subject of jokes and trolling from soccer fans on X (formerly Twitter) because of a namesake. News regarding an Argentine soccer player bearing the same name as the Spaniard led fans on the internet to joke that losing to Alexander Zverev made the latter change sports.
Coming in as one of the title favorites, Alcaraz’s campaign in the 2024 Australian Open was disappointing. Until the quarterfinals, he did not face any seeded players. #6 seed Zverev, his quarter-final opponent, was the first seeded name he faced and he ended up losing. The German inflicted a bagel upon the World No.2 en route to a 6-1, 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-4 win.
Soccer fans touched upon this defeat when joking around Alcaraz’s namesake in their sport. Reputed journalist Fabrizio Romano announced a transfer update for Carlos Alcaraz, the Argentine soccer player. Some X users used this as an opportunity to show their funny bone. One said the defeat against Zverev caused the two-time Grand Slam winner to switch sports.
One fan joked Alcaraz plays tennis during the day and soccer at night. Another light-heartedly tipped Holger Rune to rule tennis since Alcaraz switched to tennis, Jannik Sinner joined Ferrari, and Novak Djokovic has aged.
Another X user photoshopped Carlos Alcaraz, the tennis star, on to Carlos Alcaraz, the soccer player.
The Argentine midfielder is reportedly set to join Juventus in Italy. Ahead of the 2023 ATP Finals, the Turin-based club’s players overwhelmingly backed Djokovic over Alcaraz to lift the title. Eight players picked the Serb, and were proved right as he went on to win a record seventh year-ending championship. Only two voted for the Spaniard, who made it to the semifinals in his debut campaign.
