When Rafael Nadal was tediously marching towards the twilight of his glittering career, a new formidable force in the Spanish tennis circuit was emerging as an entity to reckon with.

Carlos Alcaraz, just an inch shorter than his idol Nadal, could potentially end up with more Grand Slams than the 38-year-old legend, who finished with 22. After breaking into the top 100 of the ATP rankings in May 2021, Alcaraz torpedoed his way into the top 35 by the end of the year.

In March 2022, the Murcia-born star truly announced his name when he vanquished Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Alexander Zverev at the Madrid Open to win his second Masters 1000 title. His blend of speed, precision, and tactical intelligence sets him apart from the rest.

In October 2024, he came up against Nadal and beat him in straight sets which led his senior compatriot to label him as “the animal”. Speaking to DAZN, Nadal said: “I think it was a good performance [from myself], but it wasn’t even enough to play against an animal like him.”

To better understand the newest face of Spanish tennis, let’s delve into his net worth, personal life, and controversies.

Carlos Alcaraz’s net worth

According to Sportico, Alcaraz’s net worth is £35.6m. He is currently the highest-earning tennis player as he went on to pocket an estimated £25.3m from endorsements in 12 months until August 2024.

The 21-year-old is believed to charge in the region of £700,000 to £1.5m for a public appearance. Alcaraz is also the ambassador of Saudi Arabia’s tennis federation and has inked endorsement deals with luxury brands like Babolat, BMW Group, LVMH, Nike, and Rolex.

In fact, his 10-year deal with Nike is allegedly worth between £12m and £15.8m annually. Although he is making major strides in the sponsorship market, he remains significantly behind in overall net when compared to the likes of Djokovic (£189m), Nadal (£170m), and Roger Federer (£424m).

Alcaraz’s personal life

Alcaraz was born on May 5, 2003, in the quaint town of El Palmar in Murcia, Spain. He made his first forays into tennis at the age of four in the Real Sociedad Club de Campo de Murcia.

His father, who was a coach and administrator at the club, encouraged him to pursue the sport, while his mother was working as a sales assistant at IKEA. He has an elder brother, Alvaro, and two younger brothers Sergio and Jaime.

At eleven, Alcaraz was spotted by visionary talent scout Albert Molina, who managed to persuade IMG to sign the budding sensation and eventually connected him with his future mentor, Juan Carlos Ferrero. In September 2018, Alcaraz went to Villena to train at the famous Ferrero Tennis Academy before stepping into the professional set-up at the age of just 15.

His father and elder brother Alvaro always accompany him during tournaments, with the latter working as his hitting partner. He is an ardent fan of Real Madrid, and a keen follower of F1 and MMA fights with Fernando Alonso and Ilia Topuria as his favourite athletes from the respective sports.

Alcaraz is a female heartthrob and is usually mobbed by teeming autograph hunters. He was rumoured to be dating Maria Gonzalez Gimenez, who also hails from Murcia. She is believed to be an avid tennis fan and is a law student at the University of Murcia.

However, in an interview with The Times, Alcaraz insisted that he remains single.

He said: “I am single. I am looking for someone. It can be difficult as a tennis player to meet the right person because you are travelling all the time.”

Alcaraz mocking Djokovic

Alcaraz is mostly known for his humility and discipline on the court, but the Spaniard can be a bit cheeky as well. During the Australian Open 2025 quarter-finals, he seemed to mock Djokovic.

The Serbian legend called for a medical timeout in the very first set as he complained of a groin injury. However, it was evident that he was struggling for rhythm and the timeout was used as a tactical ploy to stop and restart.

In the fourth set, Alcaraz was seen limping and pointing to his staff before getting on with the match. The former American tennis player, James Blake, said in the commentary: “You can see the frustration, he’s kinda limping around and he gets up and does it again.

“He’s obviously fine, just acting like he’s got some sort of an injury.” John McEnroe added: “That’s what I would do… If I was playing (Djokovic), I’d be like Novak right now”.