Carlos Alcaraz 'rejected' lavish private jet offer only to run into luggage trouble at Rotterdam airport after budget airline travel: Reports

Carlos Alcaraz's arrival in Rotterdam for the 2025 ABN AMRO Open made waves after the Spaniard was made to wait for over an hour for his bags at the airport. Following his ordeal, reports emerged that Alcaraz had refused the lavish offer of a private jet to make his travel easier.

After his quarterfinal exit from the Australian Open, the World No. 3 has entered the ATP 500 as the top seed. However, his arrival at the Rotterdam airport hit an unexpected snag, as he flew on a budget airline and endured a nearly 90-minute wait for his bags.

To offer a warm welcome after his difficult arrival, tournament ambassador Jan Kooijman met Alcaraz and presented him with flowers, traditional Dutch stroopwafels, and a clog keychain.

As the news of Carlos Alcaraz's ordeal at the airport went viral, Spanish tennis journalist Manuel Sanchez reported that the 21-year-old had previously been offered a private jet service to ease his travel between tournaments. However, the World No. 3 rejected the offer, continuing to fly commercially.

"A while ago, Alcaraz was offered a deal with a private airline to have a jet to travel to tournaments, and he rejected it," Sanchez posted on X (Translated from Spanish).

Alcaraz's reported display of humility comes as no surprise, as the 21-year-old has often credited his parents for treating him like a "normal guy" instead of a tennis star. He has also expressed gratitude to his parents for "putting his feet on the ground" whenever he added to his prize money.

"It wasn’t anymore a life of private jets" - Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero on difference between working with Spaniard and Alexander Zverev

Carlos Alcaraz with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero - Source: Getty

Carlos Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero previously confirmed the 21-year-old's refusal to embrace a lavish lifestyle. In a 2023 interview with Tennis Majors, Ferrero shed light on the difference between coaching Alexander Zverev and working with Alcaraz.

Fererro emphasized that life with the four-time Grand Slam champion was far removed from the private jets and five-star accommodations he had experienced with Zverev.

"It was a big decision to take. It was the opposite of what I lived with Zverev in the past. It wasn’t anymore a life of private jets and high standard hotels," Ferrero said.

Carlos Alcaraz will not be joined by his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero for his campaign at the Rotterdam Open. The Spaniard will square off against Botic van de Zandschulp in his opening match at the ATP 500 event.