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Carlos Alcaraz recently remembered an old friend from his hometown Murcia, Spain during a media interaction at the 2024 Argentina Open.
Alcaraz, ranked 2nd in the world, has not had an ideal start to his season this year. The Spaniard reached the quarterfinals at the Australian Open for the first time in his career, but turned in a listless performance to lose 1-6, 3-6, 7-6(2), 4-6 to sixth-seeded Alexander Zverev.
The 20-year-old took a little rest following his campaign Down Under before flying to Buenos Aires for the 2024 edition of the Argentina Open. On Tuesday (February 13), he sat down for a fun chat with the local media ahead of his opener to discuss a rather funny euphemism for losing a match 6-0, 6-0 called 'Leave by bike'.
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Carlos Alcaraz was later probed on whether he was ever blanked by any player with the above scoreline, to which he replied in the affirmative. The World No. 2 stated that it was a childhood friend named Antonio 'Antonito' Lopez who had defeated him 6-0, 6-0 in a match in his hometown at the young age of 10.
The Spaniard proceeded to call his friend an "a****le," joking that he was still not over the loss.
"Once when I was 10, to a friend from Murcia, Antonio Lopez. Antonito, if you see this, a****le!" Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz looking to defend his Buenos Aires title this week
Carlos Alcaraz comes into the ATP 250 tournament in Buenos Aires as the top seed. The Spaniard is joined at the event by top 25 players such as Cameron Norrie, Francisco Cerundolo and Nicolas Jarry. He is the defending champion as he beat Norrie in last year's final at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club.
Having received a bye in the first round, Alcaraz will take on either World No. 85 Juan Pablo Varillas or Argentine qualifier Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the second round. The Spaniard will be keen to win the title at the 2024 Argentina Open, as he will be defending a truckload of points as the season goes on.
Carlos Alcaraz is also scheduled to play at the Rio Open next week. The 20-year-old came up short in last year's final at the ATP 500 tournament. Following the Latin American claycourt swing, he would likely fly early to Palm Springs for his Indian Wells Masters title defense.
