"There are no friends" - Carlos Alcaraz lays bare truth about relationships between players on tour ahead of Wimbledon 3R against Frances Tiafoe

Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe will go head-to-head in the third round at Wimbledon. The pair share a friendly relationship but the Spaniard believes there are no friends when you step on the court.

Defending champion Alcaraz was up against Australian player Aleksandar Vukic in the second round at Wimbledon on Wednesday, July 3. The Spaniard was slow to get going and faced a tough challenge in the first set. However, after earning the win in the first-set tiebreaker 7-6 (5), Alcaraz won the next two sets comfortably 6-2, 6-2.

He set up a third-round clash with 29th-seed Tiafoe. The American, upon knowing he would go up against Alcaraz, claimed that he would relish the battle and 'come after' the Spaniard.

In response, Alcaraz, with his trademark smile during his on-court post-match interview, said he was coming after Tiafoe.

Later, during his post-match press conference, the 21-year-old opened up about friendships on tour. He believes there are no friends once you step on the court as you focus on yourself and try to beat your opponent.

“I have a really good relationship with a lot of players. But once you step on the court, there are no friends. You have to be on your own. Focus on yourself. And you try to beat them. That’s how tennis works," Alcaraz said.

He had kind words for his third-round opponent. The Spaniard believes Tiafoe is a great player and person.

"Frances is a great player. Great person as well. He always smiles. He always seems like he’s enjoying his time on and off the court. It’s pretty impressive. Trying to put a show every time he steps on court."

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Carlos Alcaraz looks forward to Wimbledon 3R match against Frances Tiafoe

Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe hug after their 2022 US Open semifinal.

Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe will take to the Wimbledon grounds on Friday, July 5 for their third-round clash. This will be the third time the pair will face off and Alcaraz hopes to use his 'good weapons' to beat the American.

"It’s gonna be a fun match to play and to watch. I’ll try to use my good weapons in the match and try to beat him,” Alcaraz said during the aforementioned press conference.

The pair first met during the Barcelona Open in 2021 and Tiafoe emerged the winner 6-4, 7-6 (2). In their next encounter, in the semifinal of the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz dug deep to win 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7(5), 6-3.