After making it to the US Open semifinals, Carlos Alcaraz paid respect to Jude Bellingham, a great for Real Madrid.
In New York, the World No. 1 easily defeated Alexander Zverev, winning 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to set up a matchup with No. 3 seed Daniil Medvedev for a place in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz is a devoted Real Madrid fan, and he made no effort to hide that after his victory on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old imitated Bellingham’s celebration on the court before posting a photo of himself doing so on social media.
The Wimbledon champion tagged the £113 million summer signing from Real Madrid in a post on X, writing “Hey Jude” next to a picture of him with his arms open wide.
Bellingham has already responded to Alcaraz after the latter said, “What a machine,” or “Que maquina.”
Keep going, mate, he wrote, along with an emoji of a trophy.
In a prior press conference at the US Open, Alcaraz mentioned Bellingham.
‘I’m incredibly thrilled to watch him play for Real Madrid,’ he exclaimed. He is one of the top players in the world and such a fantastic, brilliant individual.
He will undoubtedly be the best player in the world at that position, I am certain. Simply put, I’m overjoyed to have him on the team. I engage him in brief conversation. He’s such a wonderful person, too. He’s a whole guy.’
Bellingham was brought to Los Blancos from Borussia Dortmund with high expectations, but few could have predicted the impact he would make in just the first month of the season.
He has scored five goals in four games, including late victories over Celta Vigo and Getafe.
The two top young talents in their respective sports are Bellingham and Alcaraz.
Alcaraz won his maiden Grand Slam by defeating Casper Ruud at the US Open last year, catapulting him to instant celebrity.
After defeating tennis legend Novak Djokovic in a thrilling five-set match, he won his first Wimbledon championship.
For his part, Taylor Swift helped Bellingham surpass Alejandro Balde in the race for the 2023 Golden Boy award after the Barcelona star infuriated her fans by admitting he didn’t enjoy the music of the pop star.
The midfielder who graduated from Birmingham City’s academy has also received nominations for the Kopa medal for the finest young player in the world and the Ballon d’Or award.
