Carlos Alcaraz entertains US Open crowd by singing Sebastian Yatra's Vagabundo, acknowledges the singer's presence in his player's box after 1R win
Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz entertained the Arthur Ashe crowd by singing Sebastian Yatra's Vagabundo on Tuesday, August 29.
Alcaraz advanced to the second round after his opponent Dominik Koepfer retired midway into the second set due to an ankle injury during the opening match. The Spaniard had won the first set 6-2 and was leading 3-2 in the second when Koepfer decided to quit.
However, the match was not devoid of fun as the World No. 1 used his vocal skills instead to amuse the crowd, including Colombian singer Sebastian Yatra. Alcaraz acknowledged Yatra's presence during the on-court interview, saying:
"Little bit! A song that I listen a lot and... it's great to have [him] here of course supporting the tennis, supporting me as well."
Much to Yatra's delight, Alcaraz broke into one of his songs, Vagabundo, at the moderator's request. The video clip was posted by the US Open on social media.
"Carlos Alcaraz can carry a tune. He gives his best @SebastianYatra impression," the post was captioned.
Alcaraz will now take on Lloyd Harris from South Africa in the second round. This will be the Spaniard's first meeting with Harris.
"Rafael Nadal needed a strong representative" - Sebastian Yatra after teaming up with Carlos Alcaraz for a pre-US Open charity event
Carlos Alcaraz and Sebastian Yatra recently joined forces for an exhibition event ahead of the US Open. The duo played against ATP No. 10 Frances Tiafoe and NBA star Jimmy Butler to raise money for Ukraine on Wednesday, August 23.
Yatra prepared for the match under the guidance of none other than Rafael Nadal at the latter's tennis academy in Mallorca. Nadal's lessons yielded good results for the singer as he was able to finish the match with an impressive backhand past Tiafoe.
After the match, the two-time Latin Grammy winner suggested he was there to fill the void created due to Nadal's absence at the Flushing Meadows this year.
"Yeah, Rafa told me he wasn't going to be at the tournament this year and he really needed a strong representative. This time it couldn't be a Spaniard so he sent a Colombian... and Carlos is always telling me about playing doubles at the US Open, so I'll think about it next year," Yatra said during the on-court interview.
Nadal is expected to stay away from competitive tennis for the rest of 2023. The 22-time Grand Slam champion's last outing was a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald at the Australian Open in January this year.