After Carlos Alcaraz defeated Rafael Nadal at the 2022 Madrid Open—his first victory over Nadal—Spain's King Felipe VI congratulated a shell-shocked Alcaraz. The Spanish king, Nadal, and Alcaraz then posed for a quick photo after the match.
A few moths later, after winning the Miami Open, Felipe called the young Spanish star, and Alcaraz recounted to press, "It's pretty amazing to get the call from the Spanish king. I was more nervous [for] that call than the match."
He continued, "It's pretty amazing that the Spanish king congratulates you on the hard work that you put in every day and your win. It's something that you never thought you were going to receive."
Now, Alcaraz is living his wildest dreams—he won his first Grand Slam earlier this month at the 2022 U.S. Open, and today, King Felipe welcomed him to the Zarzuela Palace for a reception.
Alcaraz, along with other Spanish winners at the 2022 U.S. Open, Martín Landaluce Lacambra (who won the boys singles title) and Martin De La Puente Riobo (who won the wheelchair doubles title), spoke with the Spanish king.
"It has been an enormous privilege to be received this morning by His Majesty King Felipe VI at the Palacio de la Zarzuela. Thank you very much for the love!" Alcaraz tweeted (in Spanish). His parents, Virginia Garfia and Carlos Alcaraz Gonzalez, joined him at the reception:
King Felipe had just returned from London, where he attended Queen Elizabeth's funeral with royalty from around the world. His wife, Queen Letizia, is in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
