Carlos Alcaraz reveals his younger brother Jaime idolizes Dominic Thiem

Carlos Alcaraz recently revealed that his younger brother Jaime, an aspiring tennis player himself, idolizes Dominic Thiem.

A video of Jaime Alcaraz Garfia - the 11-year-old brother of Carlos Alcaraz, has surfaced on the internet. The young hopeful was captured displaying his impressive tennis skills as he hit the practice court at the IMG Future Stars.

Jaime was, however, seen using Dominic Thiem’s Babolat Pure Strike racquet instead of his brother Carlos Alcaraz’s Babolat Pure Aero. Noticing the interesting detail, Thiem promptly commented on the video, appreciating Jaime’s racquet choice.

“He’s playing the right racket @carlitosalcarazz,” Dominic Thiem teased in the comments under the Instagram video.

Alcaraz responded by revealing that the 2020 US Open champion is the idol of his younger brother.

“@domithiem he loves you!! You are his idol,” Alcaraz said.

Thiem and Alcaraz on Instagram

Jaime Alcaraz Garfia has been making a name for himself in the 12 and under category. The 11-year-old has been touted as one to watch in the coming years, just like his older brother Carlos Alcaraz once was.

Monte-Carlo Masters champion Andrey Rublev even jokingly predicted the younger sibling to be the dark horse during the 2023 claycourt season. Rublev claimed that many believe Jaime is “even better” than the 2022 US Open champion.

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"He is about to change tennis" – What Dominic Thiem has said about Carlos Alcaraz in the past

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Madrid Open

Dominic Thiem has struggled big time with his form over the last couple of years. But he is still hailed as the player who paved the way for the younger generation to challenge the Big 3 and make their mark in Grand Slams.

The 29-year-old has featured in four Slam finals, winning his last one at the 2020 US Open. Flushing Meadows has seen younger winners ever since, with Daniil Medvedev winning the title in 2021 and most recently, Carlos Alcaraz lifting the trophy in 2022 as a 19-year-old.

After Alcaraz’s US Open victory, Dominic Thiem applauded the Spaniard, who subsequently became the youngest World No. 1.

"He already has a unique career. He is the youngest number one in history and winner of the US Open as a teenager, exceptional,” Dominic Thiem said in 2022.

The Austrian also stated that all other competitors would have some catching up to do. Thiem boldly predicted that the now-20-year-old would be the trailblazer for a new brand of fearless tennis.

"He is about to change tennis, because in New York, no matter how long the matches went on, he was there the whole time, playing offense, going to the net and contesting every point without fear. And I think this is new. Nobody did that before. We must catch up," Thiem had said.

Thiem himself suffered a steep drop in his ranking after a wrist injury in 2021. But the Austrian is slowly reviving himself and is now back inside the top 100; his current ranking is World No. 93.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, is vying for his 10th career title on Sunday, May 7. The Spaniard is looking to defend his Madrid Open title against Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff.