Carlos Alcaraz gives 'surprised' verdict on brother Jaime's performance after watching him compete in Barcelona
Amid his campaign at the 2025 Barcelona Open, Carlos Alcaraz made time to watch his younger brother Jaime in action in the under-14 category at the tournament. The World No. 2 later shared his thoughts on his brother's performance.
The four-time Grand Slam champion, who is aiming to win his third title at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona, advanced to the semifinals with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Alex de Minaur. Before the blockbuster quarterfinal clash, Alcaraz was spotted cheering on his brother from the sidelines, proudly taking pictures on his phone as Jaime defeated Tim Franco in the quarterfinals.
During his post-match press conference, Carlos Alcaraz admitted that he was "surprised" by his brother's high level of play. The 21-year-old even cheekily took the blame as he acknowledged that Jaime had overused drop shots during the match.
"His level honestly surprised me, though he hits more drop shots than he should – I wonder where he gets that from," he said.
The World No. 2 called it a "privilege" to watch Jaime compete, disclosing how excited the rare opportunity made him. Alcaraz also shared that he was looking forward to his brother's progress in the tournament.
"I always try to watch him when I can. It has been a while since I have watched him play, and now that he is playing on the same grounds, I try to go catch some of his matches. It really excites me to watch him play and I love watching him when I can. Let’s see how he does tomorrow, but it’s a privilege to watch him," he added.
Following his 6-2, 6-2 win over Tim Franco, Jaime Alcaraz will square off against Pepe Garcia in the semifinals in Barcelona. Carlos Alcaraz will likely make another appearance to support his brother before his own semifinal clash.
Carlos Alcaraz on being 'worried' about his brother Jaime: "I don’t like people pressuring him just because he’s my brother"
Despite his praise for his brother's tennis skills, Carlos Alcaraz has expressed concern about the overwhelming pressure placed on Jaime at such a young age. In a recent interview with Molusco TV, the World No. 2 pointed out how difficult it was for the 14-year-old to have such high expectations placed on him when he was just starting out.
Nevertheless, the four-time Grand Slam champion took pride in how well Jaime was doing in his young tennis career and opened up about his efforts to support the 14-year-old.
"I worry that people might overwhelm him too much. I don’t like people pressuring him just because he’s my brother. He’s too young to be labeled as the 'next Carlos Alcaraz.' It’s tough to have those expectations placed on him. For now, he’s doing great, and I’m proud of him. I’m not home much, but when I’m with him, I try to support him, as well as all my siblings," he said.
Carlos Alcaraz will square off against Arthur Fils in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open. The duo will meet in a rematch of their only previous meeting in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters, where Alcaraz claimed a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory.