Carlos Alcaraz's popularity rises after French Open; becomes sixth tennis player to cross 5 million followers on Instagram, with Rafael Nadal leading

Carlos Alcaraz soared in popularity, reaching five million Instagram followers after his 2024 French Open triumph on Sunday, June 9. He is the sixth tennis player to cross the mark, with Rafael Nadal in the lead.

On his Instagram, Alcaraz put the first pin on a picture of him planting a kiss on his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the 2022 US Open. He stuck the second pin in 2023 on a picture of him kissing the coveted Wimbledon trophy. The Spaniard was showered with love from fans, with many hailing him as the next big talent to watch out for after the Big 3.

On Sunday, the World No. 2 proudly posted a picture of him holding his 2024 French Open trophy. The win makes Alcaraz the youngest man to earn a Grand Slam title on all three surfaces.

In terms of the following on Instagram as an indicator of popularity, Rafael Nadal tops the list with 21.2 million followers. He is followed by Serena Williams with 17.2 million followers and Novak Djokovic with 14.6 million followers. Sania Mirza and Roger Federer currently hold the fourth and fifth spots with 13.1 million and 12.4 million followers, respectively.

Rafael Nadal congratulates Carlos Alcaraz on maiden French Open title via social media

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his 2024 French Open victory with ball kids

14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal congratulated Carlos Alcaraz for his maiden French Open trophy.

Alcaraz beat Alexander Zverev 6–3, 2–6, 5–7, 6–1, 6–2. He overcame J.J. Wolf, J. De Jong, Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Jannik Sinner en route to the finals.

With three Grand Slam titles in his cabinet, 21-year-old Alcaraz will head for a title defense at this year's Wimbledon Championships.

Nadal took to Instagram to share a poster of his compatriot, with 'Champion' written on top. The poster also had an image of the shining La Coupe des Mousquetaires. The clay-colored background included a couple of shots from Carlos Alcaraz's winning moments.

"Congratulations CHAMPION!!! Vamos," Rafael Nadal captioned the picture with trophy emojis.

Nadal had won his first French Open title in 2005 at the age of 19. He holds a legendary 112-4 win-loss record at the event.

His first-round exit at the 2024 French Open against Alexander Zverev marked only the fourth French Open loss of his career. Zverev became the third man after Robin Soderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2015 and 2021 to beat Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros.