"The Golden Child is greedy" "I'd rather watch Carlos Alcaraz than Novak Djokovic" - Fans divided over reports of Spaniard's high participation fees

Tennis fans have shared mixed reactions to reports of Carlos Alcaraz’s participation fees. Several fans have compared his charges to those of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

Alcaraz has taken the tennis world by storm over the past couple of years. The Spaniard, who had just one title to his name before 2022, has since added a staggering 11 titles to his ever-growing collection. Two of these titles are Grand Slams - the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships - and four others are Masters 1000s, won in Miami (2022), Indian Wells (2023), and Madrid (2022, 2023).

Following his triumph in Flushing Meadows last year, Alcaraz, aged 19 at the time, also made his World No. 1 debut. In the process, he broke Lleyton Hewitt's record of being the youngest World No. 1 in ATP history.

Given his meteoric rise, Carlos Alcaraz’s participation fees have also witnessed a sharp upturn, as per recent reports.

Ahead of the ATP 500 Erste Bank Open in Vienna next week, the DerStandard hinted that the 20-year-old wasn't approached by the tournament since he reportedly charges at least €750,000 to participate, and the event’s organizer Herwig Straka prefers ‘density.’

The ATP 500 in Vienna is set to feature five of the world's top 10 players - Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Alexander Zverev. Alcaraz, meanwhile, is featured on the Swiss Indoors Basel entry list, which is to be held in the same week.

Several tennis fans were stunned by the revelation of Spaniard’s charges and shared their reactions on X.

“This is what happens when you elevate a player above the sport,” one fan said.

A few fans, however, sided with the two-time Grand Slam champion and deemed his charges reasonable. They pointed at the participation fees of other top players such at Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, with one expressing a greater desire to watch the young Spaniard than Djokovic.

“He’s the exciting new player people want to watch. He can command what he likes and if they want a sell out tournament they’ll pay it! I’d rather watch him than Novak Djokovic who commands a lot more!” the fan said.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

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Carlos Alcaraz's chances of replacing Novak Djokovic as World No. 1 suffer a blow with Swiss Indoors withdrawal

The Spaniard took over Novak Djokovic's reigns and was crowned the year-end World No. 1 in 2022

Amid reports from Vienna about Carlos Alcaraz’s participation charges, the Spaniard has pulled out of the Swiss Indoors Basel.

Alcaraz, who has witnessed a downward trend in his results since winning Wimbledon, cited lower back muscle fatigue and issues in his left foot as the reasons behind his withdrawal.

“Unfortunately, I will not be able to play in Basel this year! I have a problem with the plantar fascia in my left foot and muscle fatigue in my lower back which need treatment so I can play the rest of the season. I hope to see you all soon!” he wrote on Instagram.

The World No. 2’s no-show means that his chances of replacing Novak Djokovic at the top spot and claiming his second consecutive year-end World No. 1 trophy have suffered a blow.

Carlos Alcaraz currently trails the Serb by 500 points in the ATP live race. With the Spaniard’s Basel absence, he will now have only two chances at leapfrogging Djokovic in the rankings – at the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals in Turin.