Carlos Alcaraz managed to see the funny side when quizzed on far-fetched rumours relating to him and Emma Raducanu.
The 21-year-old won his second Wimbledon title by thrashing Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4), but his post-match interview proved slightly less straight-forward thanks to one question in particular.
Spotted in the Centre Court crowd for the prestigious occasion was British tennis star Emma Raducanu, whose attendance prompted many to speculate – without any foundation – that the young pair could be an item.
Speaking to the press after the victory, Alcaraz laughed when he was asked about the presence of his fellow 21-year-old in the stands.
Offering his thoughts as to why the Brit had come to watch, he said: “I don’t know, I don’t know. I think a lot of people came to see the final.
“I think Novak and I always put on a good game, a show on the court. I think it is a beautiful game to watch.
“And she is from here, so I imagine that she wanted to come and see it. If there was a Grand Slam in Murcia [his home town] I would 100 per cent go to the final, even if I wasn’t playing.”
But the Spaniard kept things light-hearted as he ended by teasing: “I don’t know if she came to the finals or if she came to see me. Who knows?
“You have to ask her, but I hope she enjoyed the final.”
The more likely reason for Raducanu’s presence is the fact Kate Middleton was in attendance on Centre Court. Asked which celebrity she’d most like to come and watch her play, Raducanu responded in an interview: “Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Wales – she’s like my idol,” she laughed.
Nevertheless, Alcaraz was certainly in the mood to entertain some more speculative questions as he wrote himself into the history books by clinching his fourth Grand Slam title at the All England club.
This success saw Alcaraz become just the sixth player to win both the men’s titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year, having tasted victory in Paris in June.
In doing so, the world number three is the youngest player to complete the feat, whilst he also joined Roger Federer as only the second player in the Open Era to win his first four Grand Slam finals.
Meanwhile Raducanu was unable to match her male counterpart’s success at the grass court major, exiting the tournament in the round of 16 after defeat to Lulu Sun.
Alcaraz will now turn his attention to the upcoming Paris Olympics which starts later in July, where he will partner sporting great Rafael Nadal in the doubles event, as well as targeting gold in the singles on his Games debut.
In the meantime however, fans will be keeping a close eye on both the Spaniard and Raducanu’s next moves, with many clearly eager for a new tennis power couple.