Real Madrid fan Carlos Alcaraz happy but nervous over "giants" Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo visiting him at Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz has expressed joy at having Real Madrid stars Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo watch him in action at the 2023 Madrid Open.

Alcaraz beat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the third round on Sunday, April 30. He won 6-2, 7-5 to progress to the Round of 16.

The Spaniard's entertaining win was watched keenly by Real Madrid's football stars Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo. The former World No. 1 later stated that he was nervous to have the Brazilians watch him in action.

“I still get nervous, I’m not going to lie. Seeing giants like them in the stands… I’m so happy that they would come to see my match,” Carlos Alcaraz said. (via ATP)

Alcaraz is a well-known fan of Real Madrid, and has shown support for the Spanish capital club on several occasions. Last year, during his Roland Garros campaign in Paris, he was in the stands of the Stade de France to watch the La Liga champions defeat Liverpool 1-0 and clinch the UEFA Champions League title.

Alcaraz shed more light on their conversation in his post-match press conference. He said they discussed his performance as well as the soccer club's matches, including their upcoming 2022-23 Champions League semifinal clash against Manchester City.

“We spoke about how well I played today, and their latest results,” he added. “We discussed what is coming up for them against [Manchester] City. I wished them luck and they did likewise to me.”

In addition to Vinicius and Rodrygo, other Real Madrid players like Dani Ceballos and Fede Valverde were also present in the stands to watch Alcaraz's match against Dimitrov.

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Carlos Alcaraz sets up Alexander Zverev rematch at Madrid Open

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev faced each other in the 2022 Madrid Open final.

Following his win against Grigor Dimitrov, Carlos Alcaraz will face Alexander Zverev in the 2023 Madrid Open Round of 16 on Tuesday, May 2. This is a rematch of last year's Madrid Masters final, which the Spaniard won 6-3, 6-1.

Alcaraz did not face a break point in what was a dominant performance against Zverev in the 2022 final. He won the contest in just 62 minutes to become the second-youngest player after Rafael Nadal to win two Masters 1000 titles.

Zverev will head into the match with confidence as he leads 3-1 in the head-to-head against Alcaraz. They most recently met in the French Open quarterfinals last year, where the German triumphed 6-4, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7).