"Dejected that Jannik Sinner's dating Anna Kalinskaya" "As depressed as we are": Fans react to Carlos Alcaraz's expression in Nadal's French Open loss

Carlos Alcaraz's dejected facial expressions during Rafael Nadal's first-round exit from the 2024 French Open caught the attention of tennis fans. Alcaraz joined the likes of Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Stan Wawrinka, Caroline Garcia and Alize Cornet at Court Philippe-Chatrier for what could be Nadal's last match at Roland Garros.

Nadal's potential final Roland Garros campaign ended on a disappointing note, as fourth seed Alexander Zverev claimed a 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3 victory in their blockbuster first-round clash, becoming the third player to beat the Spaniard at the claycourt Major.

Carlos Alcaraz's distress was palpable when the 22-time Grand Slam champion fell behind in the second-set tiebreak, captured looking visibly dismayed in the crowd.

Tennis fans commiserated with the World No. 3, suggesting that his expressions reflected their own devastation at Nadal's loss.

"He’s as depressed as we are by this score 😭," one fan commented.

"He’s all of us watching this disrespect," another fan chimed in.

"The look on his face says it all 🥺🥺🥺," said another.

Other fans took a more humorous approach, joking that Carlos Alcaraz was "dejected" after learning of Jannik Sinner confirming his relationship with fellow tennis player Anna Kalinskaya.

"My boy is looking dejected after knowing that jannik is dating Anna😂," one fan posted.

"Looks like Alcaraz didn't take well Sinner's official announcement about his relationship with Anna Kalinskaya," another fan shared.

Meanwhile, some fans interpreted the two-time Grand Slam champion's expression as confusion over why Alexander Zverev, who is set to stand trial for the domestic violence allegations leveled against him by his ex-girlfriend and mother of his daughter Brenda Patea, was even allowed to compete.

"He's probably thinking: why the hell do they allow a domestic abuser to play in this tournament. Rafa doesn't deserve this," one fan commented.

"He is me. … seeing an alleged domestic abuser potentially be the last person my favorite player plays (where he had his most successful wins) makes me itch," said another.

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Carlos Alcaraz on teaming up with Rafael Nadal at Paris Olympics 2024: "If everything goes well, we are going to play doubles together here"

Carlos Alcaraz (left) and Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz made a strong start to his campaign at the French Open, securing a dominant 6-1, 6-2, 6-1 win over J.J. Wolf in the first round.

Following the win, the World No. 3 gave a positive update on his arm injury and expressed optimism about partnering with Rafael Nadal for doubles at the upcoming Paris Olympics.

"If everything goes well, we are going to play doubles together here," Carlos Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference.

Nadal himself shared encouraging news regarding his participation in the Olympics after his Roland Garros exit.

"I hope to return to this court for the Paris Olympic Games, that motivates me and I hope to be well prepared. After the Games, I have to see how I am in terms of motivation, physicality and tennis level to see if it makes sense to continue playing," Nadal said while addressing the crowd after his loss.

Following his win over Wolf, Carlos Alcaraz is set to take on Jesper De Jong in the second round of the claycourt Major.