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Carlos Alcaraz was on fire this Saturday as he powered his way into yet another final, this time at the Barcelona Open on home soil, extending his strong run of form from Monte Carlo. What caught fans' attention was a rare new celebration he pulled off after the win, and he later revealed the touching reason behind it.
The year didn’t start as Alcaraz had hoped, with his Australian Open run falling short despite a valiant effort. However, he bounced back with a title in Rotterdam, faced a dip in form at the Qatar Open, Indian Wells, and Miami, and then rediscovered his rhythm in Monte Carlo by claiming his sixth Masters title.
After that, the Spaniard headed to Barcelona, returning home in style. He began with a solid win over Ethan Quinn, then powered past Laslo Djere, fifth seed Alex de Minaur, and seventh seed Arthur Fils to reach the semifinals.
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Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t hold back his excitement after defeating Fils 6-2, 6-4 and debuted a new celebration. He bounced his hands, let out a roar, and struck a pose with bent knees and arms extended.
Watch the celebration below:
The four-time Grand Slam champion later revealed to the media that the celebration was for his team, who had been encouraging him to do something special after his victories.
"The celebration was for my team," he said. "They tell me every time during the match about a thing that I have to do. It wasn’t a dance. But it was something for them."
Alcaraz is no stranger to lifting the Barcelona Open trophy, having won the ATP 500 tournament in both 2022 and 2023.
Carlos Alcaraz set to face off against Holger Rune in Barcelona Open 2025 final
Carlos Alcaraz is set to face a familiar opponent in the final of the 2025 Barcelona Open, as he will go up against Holger Rune. The two have a long history together, having played alongside each other in childhood, and have met three times on the ATP Tour, with the Spaniard winning two of those encounters.
As Carlos Alcaraz mentioned during his on-court interview after defeating Arthur Fils, he is excited to face Rune but acknowledges that it won't be an easy task to come out on top.
"Since I was a little kid I was watching the final every Sunday. I played twice in the finals here. Being in the final in Barcelona again means a lot.. in front of my people, in front of my friends who came from Murcia.. of course the people here in Barcelona and Spain," he said.
"It’s been a really fun and great week. Let’s see if tomorrow we will end the day with the trophy. It’s gonna be tough," he added.
Like Alcaraz, Rune also had to battle through a tough draw, getting past the likes of Casper Ruud, Karen Khachanov, and others to book his place in the summit clash.
