Childhood picture of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune playing tennis together resurfaces ahead of Wimbledon 2023 clash

A childhood picture featuring Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune has resurfaced ahead of their 2023 Wimbledon Championships quarterfinal match.

Alcaraz and Rune have known each other for several years, and even partnered as a doubles team during their early days. They played doubles together at Les Petits back in 2017.

Alcaraz has won five tournaments this year (Madrid, Barcelona, Indian Wells, Buenos Aires, and the Queens Club Championship). The World No. 1 also reached the semifinals of the 2023 French Open, only to lose to Novak Djokovic, the eventual champion.

While Rune may not have accumulated a lot of titles this year, with his sole triumph being the BMW Open in Munich, he has solidified his position as one of the most promising and talented young stars in the sport.

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune will face each other at the Wimbledon quarterfinals. This is the first time either of htem has reached the last eight at SW19.

Ahead of their upcoming match, tennis journalist Bastien Fachan took to social media to share a picture of the Spaniard and the Dane from their early playing years.

"Started from Snapchat now they here," Fachan tweeted.

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune beat Matteo Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov, respectively, in Wimbledon 2023 4R

Carlos Alcaraz at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will take on sixth seed Holger Rune in the first Wimbledon quarterfinal on Wednesday.

Alcaraz faced a formidable challenge against 2021 finalist Matteo Berrettini in the fourth round, and he lost the first set 6-3 to the Italian. However, the World No. 1 quickly bounced back, leveling the match with a 6-3 set as Berrettini lost his serve for the first time in this tournament.

The Spaniard continued his dominance with another 6-3 set, taking full control of the match. Even a pause in play caused by the closure of the Centre Court roof due to darkness couldn't halt Alcaraz's momentum.

The reigning US Open champion capitalized on another break of Matteo Berrettini's serve to secure his spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. Alcaraz's impressive season record now stands at 44 wins and four losses.

Holger Rune, meanwhile, defeated Grigor Dimitrov in a four-set fourth-round match. Dimitrov had the upper hand initially, and at one point he led by a set and a break. However, the Dane refused to go away quietly and fought back, ultimately forcing a tiebreak to level the score.

Rune secured a two-sets-to-one advantage by winning another tiebreak. In the fourth set, a single break was all it took for the 20-year to secure his spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time. He hit an impressive 46 winners during the match. Rune's season record now stands at 37 wins and 12 losses.

Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune have faced each other twice before, with each player winning one match.

In their last encounter, in the Paris Masters quarterfinals last year, Rune emerged victorious in straight sets, albeit with Alcaraz retiring due to injury.

Their quarterfinal match at Wimbledon will mark their first-ever meeting on grass.