Carlos Alcaraz might be one of the most popular figures in the world of tennis but at the Canadian Open he was caught off guard after running into a former player.
The two-time Grand Slam champion bumped into Maria Sharapova in an elevator earlier this week. Somebody who the Spaniard describes as a ‘fantastic tennis player’ during her career. The Russian reached a high of No.1 in the world and won 36 WTA titles. Sharapova is currently in Toronto as a keynote speaker for the Unmatched: Gender Equity in Sports Conference. The initiative focuses on making equality a long-term commitment and is being run by Tennis Canada and National Bank.
“I have seen many of her matches, she was a fantastic tennis player, one of the best in the world,” Alcaraz told reporters following his straight-sets win over Ben Shelton at the Canadian Open. “And I was shocked because I didn’t expect her to be here in Toronto.”
“And she was the first to get on the elevator and I was like, ‘Is it Maria or not?’ It’s been great meeting her and knowing that she’s doing great right now. I was able to talk to her a bit and it was very nice.”
Sharapova won her first major title at the 2004 Wimbledon championships which was a year after Alcaraz was born. At her best, she was one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world before her career came to a sudden halt after a failed drugs test. In 2016 Sharapova tested positive for meldonium and was hit with a 15-month doping ban. She returned to the Tour after her ban before retiring in 2020 due to shoulder issues.
Besides brushing shoulders with Sharapova, Alcaraz’s focus remains on this week’s Canadian Masters which is the first tournament he is playing in since Winning Wimbledon. The 20-year-old is hoping to gain momentum heading into the US Open where he will be defending a title at a major event for the first time.
“I enjoyed a lot my first match in Toronto and seems like I have played here for many, many years.” He said.
“Usually every match is a different war, and you have to adapt your game into that. I’m really happy to get through (against Shelton) and have another opportunity to be a little bit better in the next round.”
Alcaraz will play Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the next round.
