Carlos Alcaraz grew up in a small village in Spain called El Palmar in Murcia and had a dream of becoming a great tennis player, so he quit school early. He was so glued to his dream that he needed to turn 15 to become a professional. Despite the hard work, Alcaraz had to wait patiently and train hard to earn his first ATP trophy at the Croatian Open in 2021.
This season, his popularity hit its peak when he defeated Novak Djokovic at the Wimbledon final. However, the youngster seems not to have forgotten his roots.
Carlos Alcaraz lights up Murcia
The city of Murcia cheerfully kicked off its Christmas celebrations after a two-year hiatus. It was an exciting time in the city as Carlos Alcaraz, one of their own, was present to light up the Great Christmas Tree. Alcaraz, who has had an exceptional 2023 season, was at the feast with his companions.
In 2023, the Spanish star had a remarkable year, securing six titles, which included his second Grand Slam victory at the prestigious Wimbledon Championships. He ended his season with a semifinal loss at the ATP Finals against Novak Djokovic, finishing the year with an impressive record of 65-12.
Carlos Alcaraz, a native of El Palmar belongs to the most populated district in Murcia. The 20-year-old star lit up the night with one swing of the LED tennis ball inside the Circular Plaza to signal the start of the holiday festivities in this part of Spain. Reports suggested that the Great Christmas Tree is the region’s most iconic festive decoration, and the crowd, comprised of young and old and tens of thousands stood to mark this favorable celebration.
This celebration has never been observed in Murcia City for the past two years because of COVID-19 (2021) and contracting issues between the Murcia City Council and the decoration company (2022). However, the city council was determined to put all that behind it and bring back the celebration.
Carlos Alcaraz, who was hailed by Iga Swiatek is just returning from a busy off-season schedule In Mexico, where he played in a Grand Exhibition match against American Tommy Paul and held tennis clinics for hotel guests, he has already announced that he will begin his 2024 preparations at the Ferrero Tennis Academy.
Alcaraz shares glimpses of his holiday in Los Cabos
The Wimbledon champ Carlos Alcaraz was brought to the crowd amid a thunderous ovation and was given the honor of pulling off this unique stunt of lighting the tree. He spoke of his immense pride for being Murcia’s most prominent tennis player.
“I feel very proud when they introduce me to courts like the Arthur Ashe, the largest in the world, and they say ‘Carlos Alcaraz, from Murcia, Spain.’ When I go somewhere, to China or any other country, in my team we usually joke that let’s see how many Murcians we find,” Carlos Alcaraz as quoted on the Murcia City Council website
A source on X shared this moment in which Alcaraz met the Mayor of Murcia, who handed him a “Golden Papajote” before he signed a large tennis ball that will eventually be auctioned with proceeds going to charity. A magical stroke by Carlos Alcaraz returns the Great Christmas Tree to the people of Murcia. The tennis player from El Palmar has lit the Great Tree in the Circular Plaza by launching a luminous ball with an LED light racket.”
