"We have a chance against Carlos Alcaraz" - Alexander Zverev jokes about beating Spaniard after playing golf with him
Alexander Zverev recently played golf with reigning Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, and presumably emerged victorious in the battle of sticks.
Zverev and Alcaraz are both competing at the ongoing Canadian Open in Montreal. The German is set to face Tallon Griekspoor from the Netherlands in the first round. On the other hand, top-seed Alcaraz has received a bye and will face either Ben Shelton or Bernabe Zapata Miralles in the second round.
Zverev has come into the competition on the back of winning the Hamburg Open in July. Alcaraz, meanwhile, would be looking to get into rhythm for his upcoming US Open title defense. However, the two seem to have been enjoying each other's company off the court lately, as the German shared on social media a picture from a golf course.
"I have good news everyone," Zverev wrote. "We have a chance against him in golf."
Zverev and Alcaraz have met each other five times on the tour, with the former leading 3-2 in the head-to-head. Alcaraz recently registered a comfortable win over the 26-year-old in the pre-quarters of this year's Madrid Open. His first victory against Zverev came in the final of the same event last year.
Zverev, meanwhile, defeated the 20-year-old in the quarterfinal of the French Open in 2022, in the final-four clash at the 2021 Austrian Open, and in the Round of 32 at the Mexican Open two years ago.
Carlos Alcaraz is Lorenzo Musetti's "source of inspiration"
World No. 18 Lorenzo Musetti recently stated that he saw Carlos Alcaraz as an inspiration. According to the Italian, Alcaraz's transformation in the past year is commendable.
"In one year, he has made incredible progress in terms of tennis, but also physically and in his awareness of his own means. Today [he] is the reference, the player to beat," Musetti said.
He further called Spaniard the "King Midas of tennis."
"He is the King Midas of tennis: what he touches turns to gold. He is both a friend and a source of inspiration, having beaten him is a boast, but also an additional motivation to do it again," he added.
Musetti met Alcaraz in the final of the Hamburg Open last year for the first time, and came out on top after a tough fight. The Italian defeated the top seed 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-4 to secure his first ATP Tour title.
The last time the youngsters faced off was during this year's French Open, where the Spaniard defeated Musetti 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.