"Win or lose, Carlos Alcaraz appreciates it and smiles" - Steve Carell gushes over Spaniard's sportsmanship and 'childlike nature' in long rallies

The Office star Steve Carell recently visited Wimbledon, where he talked at length about Carlos Alcaraz. The actor believes that there is a "childlike" quality about how the Spaniard handles himself on the court, allowing him to enjoy each baseline exchange regardless of whether he wins or loses them.

Carell, best known for his stint as Michael Scott in the popular sitcom, The Office, is a renowned actor in Hollywood. The 61-year-old has also starred in critically acclaimed films like Little Miss Sunshine and The Big Short. He visited the All England Club last week as part of the promotional tour for his next film Despicable Me 4.

The Hollywood legend was interviewed by former player Laura Robson during his Wimbledon tour. He touched upon Carlos Alcaraz's on-court attitude, alluding to how the 21-year-old is never down on himself even after losing a hard-fought point.

"The thing I like specifically about Carlos Alcaraz is that even when he loses a great point, he seems like he enjoyed it," Steve Carell told Laura Robson during his Wimbledon outing. "He seems like a kid as he plays, like, you can feel the childlike nature of the play with him. You know like, some crazy rally and win or lose, he appreciates it and smiles."

The American added that Alcaraz also commends good plays by his opponents, which is a quality that he admittedly admires.

"And you can tell that he's just enjoying every moment of it. But he's also such a good sport," he added. "I think because he can't believe the shots that other people pull off, as well. And he appreciates them, which I love about him."

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Carlos Alcaraz starts Wimbledon defense with tight straight-set win over Mark Lajal

Carlos Alcaraz celebrates after reaching second round at Wimbledon 2024

Carlos Alcaraz took some time to get into a good groove during his Wimbledon opener on Monday (July 1). The defending champion received stiff resistance from Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal in the first two sets before eventually prevailing 7-6(3), 7-5, 6-2.

The third seed fell behind by a break twice in the first two sets but regrouped to win them in gritty fashion. It was one-way traffic in the third set, though, as he broke his lower-ranked opponent's serve twice to book his place in the second round.

The Spaniard will next face World No. 69 Aleksandar Vukic for a place in the third round at SW19. While the two players have never met on the pro tour, the Aussie did get the better of the then-17-year-old Alcaraz in the first qualifying round of the 2020 French Open in three sets.